Bonanza - A House United, Book 9 - Singular Deliverances and Blessings
by pulitzer2016
Summary: As the Cartwrights prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving 1863, Adam lands in bed with a bad cold, and Josie receives some unexpected news from Simon. But when Fionn arrives on the Ponderosa gravely ill, Josie finds her allegiances changing. Meanwhile, Hoss's wedding day arrives, and Adam finally gets to present Molly with a very special piece of jewelry.
1. Chapter 1

**Singular Deliverances and Blessings  
Book 9 of A HOUSE UNITED series**

 **By Sarah Hendess**

 **Ponderosa Ranch  
Nevada Territory  
November and December, 1863**

As the cold November air descended on Virginia City, the Cartwrights doubled down their efforts to finish Hoss's new house before winter set in. Everyone in town was excited about President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation, and as they worked, the Cartwright men discussed their plans for their Thanksgiving feast on the twenty-sixth. By the middle of the month, they had finished the interior of the house and started moving in the furniture Hoss had ordered from San Francisco.

At the end of one long day, Adam found himself alone in Hoss's living room. He gazed around, pleased with how the house had turned out, but sad that his younger brother would be moving out of the main house in just over a month. Not counting the three years Adam had been away at college, he and Hoss had lived in the same house for twenty-four years. He had been Adam's first and only friend for six years before Little Joe had been born, and even now that Hoss outweighed him by eighty pounds, Adam was still protective of him. When Indians had attacked their wagon train and killed Hoss's mother Inger, Adam had thrown his skinny six-year-old body over his newborn baby brother to shield him. A year later, Hoss had taken his first steps across a room because he wanted to reach his big brother. They'd rescued each other, gotten into trouble together, and comforted one another, and now Hoss was moving on. Adam sighed and gathered his hat and gun from the gleaming new coffee table. Just as Adam turned to leave so he could go home for supper, Little Joe trotted down the stairs.

"Well, that's the master bedroom finished," he said. "They'll need more furniture for all those extra rooms, but it looks like everything's set for them to move in."

"I expect Patience will do some decorating, but yeah," Adam said as he gazed around at the bare walls. He'd modeled the house after the main house, but on the first floor he'd widened the dining room a bit, and upstairs he'd cut a door between the master bedroom and the washroom so Patience and Hoss could access the facilities without having to step out into the hall.

Joe sidled up to Adam and followed his older brother's gaze around the living room. "I can't believe he's really moving out."

"Me neither," Adam admitted.

"So how about you?"

"How about me?"

"Yeah," Joe said. "How long until you move out, too?" When Adam didn't respond, Joe continued, "I'm not blind, Adam. I've seen the way you look at Molly. You can't tell me you're plannin' to stick around the old homestead much longer." Joe forced laughter into his voice, but his eyes gave him away. Adam put his arm around his baby brother's shoulders.

"I'm not. But we're not leaving you, Joe. Me or Hoss. We'll all still be living here on the Ponderosa, working together to keep her strong. And we'll always be there if you need us. No matter what."

Joe swallowed hard, and Adam could see him fighting tears. Much to the surprise of both men, Adam wrapped his arms around Joe and pulled him into a hug.

"Come on, little buddy," Adam said when he stepped back. "Let's go home." Leaving one arm draped around Joe's shoulders, Adam led his brother out of the new house.

Ben and Hoss had gone into town that day to get fitted for new suits for Hoss's wedding. Not being able to choose between his brothers, Hoss had asked Ben to be his best man, and he insisted on buying his father a new suit. The two men had arrived home before Adam and Joe, and when the latter pair arrived home that evening, they found Josie curled up next to Ben on the settee. She glanced over her shoulder at them as they came in the door, and both men noticed her red-rimmed eyes. They nearly collided as they rushed over to her, asking in unison what was wrong. In response, Josie handed them a letter she was holding. Adam snatched it from her and began reading with Joe peering over his shoulder.

Tobin Furniture  
San Francisco, California  
November 3, 1863

Dear Josie,

I've been thinking about this real hard for a while now, and I've decided that I'm not coming back to Virginia City when my apprenticeship is up next summer. Mr. Tobin said I'm a great furniture maker, and I could do real well for myself if I set up shop here.

But I miss you, Josie. You're the only thing missing here in San Francisco. Please come to me. There's the prettiest little church here where we can get married, and I promise I'll make you the happiest woman who ever lived.

Please wire me back right away.

I love you.

Yours always,

Simon

Adam took a deep breath to stem the flood of curse words that tried to charge out of his mouth.

"He's got a lot of nerve!" Little Joe blurted.

Adam winced as he swallowed hard; his throat had grown dry and scratchy during the day. "Pa, did Simon ask you for Josie's hand?" he asked.

The color that had risen in Ben's face when he'd read the letter had faded, but his jaw was still clenched. "No, he did not," he replied, crisply punctuating each word.

"Do you think he wrote to Uncle Jacob?" Joe asked.

"Doubt it," Hoss said, coming down the stairs and joining his family. "He wouldn't even know where to reach Uncle Jacob."

Everyone turned and looked at Josie, who had not yet spoken. She just sat next to her uncle and stared at her hands. Adam laid a hand on her shoulder, and Josie reached up and laid her hand atop his.

"Are you gonna go, Josie?" Joe asked.

Josie's head snapped up. "Of course not!" she snarled. "He can't just abandon me and then expect me to go running to him months later!" She switched to a mocking, damsel-in-distress voice. "'Oh, Simon, I'm so grateful you could finally be bothered!' Why would you even ask such a stupid question? Geez, Joe, you are so thick!" Josie yanked the letter from Adam's hands, ripped it into hundreds of tiny pieces, and flung them into the fireplace. She watched the little shards of paper curl in the flames for a moment, and then she burst into tears and raced up the stairs.

When they heard Josie's bedroom door slam, the four men stared at each other, trying to figure out what should be done next and who should be the one to do it.

"Pa, do I need to apologize?" Little Joe asked at last.

"No, son," Ben sighed. He gazed up the empty staircase toward the dark hall. "She's not upset with you. You're not the stupid one here." He glared into the fire where the last shreds of Simon's letter were blackening. "Let's just all wash up for supper. Give Josie a few minutes to collect herself."

The three younger men nodded and headed upstairs to take turns in the washroom. Adam ducked in first, and when he was finished, he knocked on Josie's door. She grumbled "Come in!" and Adam let himself into the room. Josie was sitting at her writing desk and scribbling furiously on a small piece of paper.

"Supper's ready," he said.

Josie didn't respond, so Adam crossed the room and laid his hand on her shoulder again.

"You ok?"

Josie sighed and turned around to face him. "Yeah. I think I always knew he wouldn't be coming back, but part of me still hoped…" She dropped her gaze to her lap.

"Yeah," Adam said. He paused. "You can go, you know. If that's what you want, we'll support you."

Josie snapped her gaze back up to her cousin. "I'm where I always wanted to be," she answered. "I'm where I'm meant to be. Simon knows that. He should have known better than to ask me to come to San Francisco. No, this is a chapter of my life I just have to close." She glanced at the piece of paper she'd been writing on when Adam had entered the room. "Are you going to town tomorrow by any chance?"

"I wasn't planning to, but I can."

Josie handed him the paper. "Would you send this wire for me, please?"

Adam's heart broke for Josie as he read the sheet in his hand:

To: Simon Croft, Tobin Furniture, San Francisco, California

From: Josephine Cartwright, Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada Territory

Message: I'm sorry but you know I can't leave my family STOP Best of luck in San Francisco STOP Your friend Josie

"Why don't you come to town with me tomorrow?" Adam suggested. "We'll get lunch at Annie's, and you can order some more books for the library." The Virginia City Library had opened to great fanfare a couple days earlier, and nearly all the books had already been checked out.

"All right," she agreed. She looked up at him and squinted as she studied his face. "Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. Been a long couple weeks getting Hoss's house finished."

Josie said nothing, but Adam could tell she was skeptical. He said he'd meet her downstairs and zipped out of the room, leaving her telegram on her desk.

As the family sat down to dinner, Josie gave Little Joe a hug and apologized for snapping at him. She then made a brief announcement to everyone that she would certainly not be moving to San Francisco and asked them to please not bring it up again. The Cartwright men quickly turned the subject to the plans for their big Thanksgiving feast in a couple of weeks. The O'Connells, Marquettes, and Lovejoys had been thrilled to accept the Cartwrights' invitation, and Ben and Adam discussed setting up a second dining table to accommodate all the guests. Josie had to bite her lip to keep from bursting out with the news of Delphine Marquette's pregnancy. Dell had passed the first trimester, and Josie was increasingly confident that she would carry the baby successfully to term. But Ross and Delphine still weren't announcing it, so Josie had to tamp down the urge to break the news.

Josie kept an eye on Adam throughout the meal. He flinched now and again when he swallowed, and when he dozed off on the sofa right after dinner, Josie knew for certain he wasn't well. No matter how tired he was, Adam always managed a chapter or two of whatever book he was reading before turning in for the night. Josie got up from her seat at the checkers table where she was giving Hoss a good thrashing and stepped around the settee behind Adam.

Adam nearly leapt out of his skin as Josie's fingers dug into the sides of his neck just under his jawline.

"Yow!" he hollered. He cast about wildly for the source of his rude awakening, and his eyes landed on Josie, who was smiling smugly behind the settee. "What did you do to me?!" He massaged his neck where the swollen glands still sang out painfully from Josie's probing.

"Your lymph nodes are swollen," she said.

"So?"

"So you're sick. Go to bed."

Adam started to protest, but Ben jumped out of his seat and strode over to his son. "How long have you been feeling ill, Adam?" he asked.

Adam looked up at his father and cousin, and then over to his brothers, who were now staring at him with concern, too. He sighed. "Since this morning, Pa. But it's just a sore throat. I'm fine, really."

Ben laid a hand on Adam's forehead and was relieved to find it cool. "Do as Josie says," he ordered. "Go to bed."

Adam sighed again and trudged upstairs. When they heard his bedroom door close, Ben turned to Josie. "Do you think it's serious?"

Josie shook her head. "No, Uncle Ben. He's not feverish. I'll check him out in a few minutes, but I expect he's just got that cold that's been going around. A couple days in bed, and he'll be fine."

Josie gave Adam some time to change into his nightshirt before she went upstairs and knocked on his door. Knowing she would threaten him with chloroform if he resisted, Adam sat still and opened wide so Josie could look down his throat.

"Yep, you caught that cold everyone's had," she announced as she tucked her stethoscope back into her medical bag. As she had expected, Adam's lungs were clear, but she had wanted to listen to them anyway, just to be safe. "The sore throat should subside in a couple days, but you'll develop a runny nose, some nasal congestion, and a headache. Probably a bit of a cough toward the end as everything loosens up."

"Wonderful. Something to look forward to."

Josie giggled. "Aw, it's not so bad, Cousin-Cousin. You get to spend the next few days in bed reading your books. And I'll take good care of you." She patted his head. "Normally, I'd offer a patient in your position some willow bark tea…" She giggled again as Adam screwed up his face. "But perhaps in your case hot chocolate would be more appreciated."

Adam grinned. Maybe being under the weather for a few days wouldn't be so bad after all. "Thanks, Josie."

Josie kissed his forehead. "Anything for you. I'll go make that hot chocolate."

Having Adam to dote on did wonders for Josie's spirits. While Adam slept in the next morning, she trotted out to her clinic and retrieved some camphor, onion syrup, menthol, and Epsom salts, and she sent Little Joe into town with her telegram and a request for a few jars of honey and two bottles of whiskey. When Adam woke up midmorning, Josie was ready with a bowl of steaming oatmeal drizzled with maple syrup. She delivered this to him in his room and chatted about Molly's progress with her bridesmaid's dress while he ate.

"Hey, would you mind sending Pip over to Molly's to let her know I won't be able to come see her this week?" he asked. "I was supposed to take her to dinner on Thursday, and I don't want her to think I've stood her up."

"Already done," Josie replied. "I asked Joe to stop by her shop while he's in town."

Adam smiled at Josie's thoughtfulness and handed her his now-empty oatmeal bowl. As he let go of the bowl, he flexed his fingers and frowned.

"Do your hands hurt?" Josie asked.

"They ache a bit," Adam admitted. He rolled his neck and shoulders. "Everything aches a bit, actually."

"That's a Stoddard trait, I'm afraid," Josie said. "Illnesses settle in our joints. Happens to me and Mama and Aunt Rachel, too." She grabbed his left hand and began massaging his fingers. Adam dropped his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes as a broad smile spread across his face. Josie giggled. "Learned this trick from Papa. It feels amazing, doesn't it?" Adam just nodded his agreement. "I brought some Epsom salts over from my clinic," Josie continued. "Give me a minute and I'll put some in a hot bath for you."

She disappeared, and Adam heard her pumping water into the bathtub across the hall. When it was ready, Josie told Adam she'd be back upstairs in fifteen minutes and then headed down to the kitchen to help Hop Sing with the breakfast dishes. Adam groaned with contentment as he settled his aching body into the steaming water. He sank to his chin and wondered for the hundredth time how the family had ever survived before Josie moved in.

His first two days in bed weren't so bad, but by the third, Adam's cold had settled in his sinuses. His nose was running like the Truckee River, but he was so congested that sniffing did no good – he couldn't draw air through either nostril. He had to keep a handkerchief held to his nose to catch the runoff, and Hop Sing sighed when he came up with some soup at midday and discovered that Adam had dripped through his entire supply of clean handkerchiefs and was now working his way through Little Joe's. The cook gathered up the soggy cotton squares and took them downstairs to wash, muttering in Chinese all the way.

When Josie came in from her clinic that evening and skipped up to Adam's room to check on him, she had to purse her lips to keep from laughing. She felt bad because she knew he was miserable, but he cut such a pathetic figure sitting there in bed with his red, watery eyes and a handkerchief pressed to his nose. He sniffled about every five or ten seconds as he stared glumly at the pages of _Frankenstein_. He looked up at Josie with a hangdog expression and asked her to please shoot him, though with as stuffy as he was, it sounded like "Please shoo be."

"I'm sorry you feel so terrible," Josie said, crossing over to his bed. She laid a hand on his forehead to check that he hadn't developed a fever and noticed the puffy bags under his eyes. "You sleep at all today?"

Adam shook his head. "Couldn't get comfortable. My whole face throbs when I lay down, and then I start coughing."

"That's the congestion," Josie said, frowning. "Let me draw you up another hot bath. It'll help."

Josie again filled the bathtub with hot water and put a pot of water on the stove in the washroom to boil, hoping that the extra steam would give Adam some relief from the sinus pressure. While Adam reclined in the tub, Josie sat down at her writing desk and whipped up a salve her father had concocted some years ago. Once Adam was back in bed, Josie popped into his room, a little jar in one hand.

"Bath help?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"Good. Lie back and unbutton your shirt."

Adam raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. "Just hurry up with whatever you're gonna do," he said. "It's cold."

Josie smiled and unscrewed the lid of the jar. Adam's nose wrinkled as the salve's powerful aroma drifted across the room to him.

"Hey, you can smell something!" Josie cheered. "That's wonderful! Here." She reached into the jar, scooped out a large blob of gooey salve, and slathered it across his chest.

"Josie, what in the wor- Hey, that feels warm!" Adam said, his eyes lighting up. Josie just smiled and applied more salve, massaging it up onto Adam's throat. The fumes made his eyes water, but when he sniffed his nose again, he made an exciting discovery. "I can breathe through one nostril! What is this stuff?! It's a miracle!"

Josie giggled and handed him the jar. "Mixture of camphor and menthol," she said as Adam inspected the container's contents. "Papa came up with it years ago. It's amazing what it can do for a head cold. It's gonna make your shirt stick to your skin, but it's worth it." She took the jar back from Adam and set it on his nightstand. Comfortable for the first time that day, Adam was fighting to keep his eyes open, so Josie buttoned his nightshirt back up for him. "It should help keep you from coughing, too. But if it doesn't, I'll bring you some whiskey or onion syrup."

"Inger gave me onions once," Adam muttered as his heavy eyelids drooped.

"I'm sorry?"

Adam's eyes stayed closed as he nuzzled into his pillow. "When Pa and I first met her. I was sick, and she gave me salt pork and onions. Perked me right up. I miss her. She was a real nice lady…" His voice trailed off as sleep overtook him.

"So I've heard," Josie whispered. She smiled at Adam, blew out his oil lamp, and went downstairs for supper.

Having slept through supper, Adam woke up the next morning with a raging appetite. The restful sleep he'd gotten had worked wonders, and Josie let him eat breakfast in the dining room with everyone else. She caught him glancing longingly at his hat and gun on the sideboard and roundly informed him that he was not going out in the cold November air for at least another two days. Adam looked to Ben for support, but the older man shook his head and told his son to listen to Josie.

"The last thing we need is you coming down with pneumonia," he said.

Adam had never been good at being shut up in the house, so after breakfast, Josie hung her "Please call at the house" sign on her clinic door and spent the morning playing chess and checkers with Adam in the living room. After lunch, Adam went back to his bedroom for a nap, so Josie decided to go to her clinic for a bit. She didn't get many patients out here at the ranch once the weather turned cold – people tended to venture out only for true emergencies – but she thought she'd make up some more of the menthol salve to take with her to Dr. Martin's clinic the next day. With as many cases of that head cold as she and Dr. Martin had both seen, Josie knew they could put it to good use. She was pulling on her coat when Pip pressed his nose to the front door and whined.

"What is it, Pip?" Josie asked.

Pip glanced up at her, his tongue hanging out of his open mouth and his tail beating a cadence against the sideboard.

"Fionn's here, isn't he?"

Pip barked.

Josie giggled and opened the front door. "Well, go get him!"

Pip shot out the door and reached the barn just as the O'Connells' wagon drove around the corner and into the front yard. Conall leapt down from the back, and he and Pip took off running toward the duck pond.

"Hey, You!" Fionn called as he pulled his team to a stop.

"Hi, Josie!" Molly chimed in, waving.

Josie waved to both of them and waited on the porch as Jimmy, fully recovered from his bout of appendicitis, came out of the bunkhouse to take care of Fionn's horses. Fionn and Molly, their breath casting smoky puffs before them, mounted the porch and greeted Josie. Molly and Josie exchanged quick cheek-kisses, but Fionn grabbed Josie around the waist and swung her around.

"What brings you out this way?" Josie asked, still giggling from Fionn's greeting.

Molly held up a round, brown-paper-wrapped package. "I felt bad that Adam had to miss our dinner tonight, so I brought a bit of dinner to him. Irish soda bread. Made it meself just this mornin'."

"He'll love that," Josie said with a grin. "He's asleep, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you woke him up."

"Aye, I bet he wouldn't," Fionn muttered just loudly enough for Josie to hear. Josie tittered as she led Fionn and Molly into the house.

Hop Sing scuttled into the great room to take Molly's and Fionn's coats, and Josie waved Molly toward the stairs, indicating that she should help herself to Adam. Fionn and Josie stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened as Molly knocked on Adam's bedroom door.

"Oh, my poor darlin'!" they heard her cry when she was granted admittance. Fionn laid a hand over his heart and batted his eyelashes while Josie pretended to vomit. The friends caught each other's eyes and dissolved into laughter.

"Shhhhh!" Josie said as she gasped to catch her breath. "They'll hear us!"

"Oh please, they won't notice anythin' outside of that bedroom." Fionn wrinkled his brow as he realized all the possible interpretations of his statement.

Josie snorted. "Oh, if you only knew," she muttered under her breath.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. Would you like some coffee?"

Josie fetched them both some coffee, and they sat on the settee and caught up. They'd seen each other at the library's grand opening, but that had been a busy day, so they hadn't had a chance to really talk since the night they'd gone overboard with the apple cider a few weeks ago. Josie had planned not to breathe a word to Fionn about Simon's letter – she didn't want to make Fionn feel bad about the whole thing all over again – but sitting there on sofa with Fionn's arm around her shoulders, Josie blurted out the entire story. Fionn just stared into the fire while Josie talked.

"If you love him, you should go," he said quietly when Josie had finished the tale.

"That's the curious thing about it," Josie said. "I _did_ love him. Fiercely. And this is the letter I'd been dreaming of getting from him. But when it came, I wasn't relieved or overjoyed. I was just angry."

"What about it made you angry?"

Josie reached up and twiddled Fionn's fingers absently while she thought about this. "That he asked me to leave my family," she said at last. "He knows how important my uncle and brothers are to me. To ask me to leave them after all those years we'd already been apart just felt so, so… inconsiderate."

Fionn shifted in his seat. "If he were comin' back to Virginia City, would your answer have been different?"

"I don't know," Josie said honestly. "Maybe. But maybe not. He'd really have to prove himself. Prove that he wasn't going to be suspicious every time a man came into my clinic. I dreamed my whole life of becoming a doctor, and I can't give up my profession for a jealous husband. I just can't."

"Nor should you." Fionn gave Josie's shoulders a little squeeze, and she smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"Just being you. We had a rough start, but you're my best friend, Fionn." Josie draped an arm across Fionn's stomach and laid her head on his chest. They sat quietly, Josie never noticing the huge grin spread across Fionn's face. He pulled her tight to his side and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Adam bounced back from his cold, and a few days before Thanksgiving, he rode into town to take Molly out to dinner to make up for the evening he'd missed while he was sick. He'd hoped to spend the night with Molly in her bedroom behind the shop, but Fionn was expecting her home that night, so Adam dropped her off at the O'Connells' farm on the western shore of Washoe Lake on his way back to the Ponderosa. It was past midnight when he stepped into the ranch house, but Ben was still sitting up in the living room and nursing a final glass of brandy while he finished off the last few pages of the book he'd been reading. He glanced up and greeted Adam as he took off his hat and gun.

"Have a nice dinner, son?"

"Great, Pa. Got some news in town, too." Ben raised an eyebrow, and Adam pulled a newspaper from the pocket of his tan jacket and tossed to his father. "President Lincoln dedicated a cemetery at Gettysburg for all those soldiers who were killed in the battle this summer. Made a pretty good speech, too. They're already calling it 'The Gettysburg Address.'"

Ben picked up the newspaper and read aloud the text of the brief address:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion— that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

"Wow," Ben breathed when he finished. "I don't know how to respond to that."

Adam sat down on the settee. "It's powerful," he agreed. "And poignant. You realize what he's done here, don't you?"

"Oh yes," Ben said, sitting back in his chair and resting one foot on the opposite knee. "He's just made this a war to set the slaves free."

"That he has," Adam said, grinning. "You know, when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, I thought it was just a political act. But I think he's serious. I think he's trying to find a greater purpose for this ugly war than just preserving a government."

"I think you're right, son." Ben paused and smiled at his eldest as he tried to fully wrap his head around the monumental changes his nation was undergoing. Good changes. No, Ben thought, miraculous changes. Tears blurred his vision, and he quickly blinked them away. "It's appropriate we're celebrating Thanksgiving this week," he said. "We have a lot to be thankful for."

Adam smiled and thought of Molly. "We sure do. Goodnight, Pa."

"Goodnight, Adam."

Still smiling, Adam hopped up the stairs to go to bed.

The Cartwrights all rose early on Thursday, November 26 to get everything ready for their big Thanksgiving feast that day. Hop Sing had butchered two pigs the day before, and the house quickly filled with the scent of roasting ham. Josie undertook making enough dinner rolls for fourteen people while Adam and Little Joe moved some of the living-room furniture to make space for a second large table – there was no way that five Cartwrights, four Lovejoys, two O'Connells, two Marquettes, and a Hop Sing were going to fit around the usual dining-room table. After Hop Sing had slaughtered the pigs yesterday, he and Josie had baked six pies – three each of apple and pumpkin (the pumpkins coming from Fionn's harvest) – and Ben spent most of his morning slapping Hoss's hands away from them. He finally sent his largest son out to the barn to bring in some extra chairs, and while Hoss was out of the house, Ben hid the pies in the sideboard.

Ben had given the men a pig for their own Thanksgiving meal, and Jimmy and Danny were buzzing about the bunkhouse's small kitchen preparing a feast for all the hands. When the Cartwrights' guests began arriving shortly before noon, the rest of the hands were kept busy tending to all the horses.

As usual, the Marquettes arrived first. Once inside, Delphine took off her coat, and Josie caught a glimpse of her midsection. She hadn't seen Dell for almost two weeks, and she immediately noticed the high-waisted dress Dell was wearing to cover up her growing belly. Josie raised an eyebrow – Dell was a bit bigger than she would have expected for only four months into a pregnancy. It was a subtle swell – Josie noticed it only because she was looking for it – but Josie wondered if her math had been off when she calculated Delphine's due date. She didn't get to think about it for very long, though, because the O'Connells and the Lovejoys appeared simultaneously, and Josie got caught up in a swirl of greetings. Her brow furrowed in concern when Fionn tumbled into the house behind Molly; he was on the pale side and sniffling every now and again. Instead of hugging him, Josie laid a hand on his cheek to feel for a fever.

"What's wrong, Fionn?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for more clues.

Fionn shrugged. "Aw, it's nothin', Hey, You. I'm all right. No fever, see?" He grabbed her free hand and laid it on his other cheek so Josie was holding both sides of his face.

"It's that head cold that's been goin' around," Molly called over her shoulder as Adam helped her out of her coat. "I wanted him to stay home, but he insisted on comin'."

"I'm nearly over it," Fionn insisted. "Just a little sniffle left."

"All right," Josie conceded. "But if you start to feel tired, promise me you'll go lay down in the guestroom."

Fionn promised, and Josie kissed his cheek before leading him into the living room.

Everyone sat in the living room and chatted for a while, mostly about Hoss and Patience's wedding, which was now only a month away. Josie enjoyed conversing with Patience's younger sister, Hope, who was planning to attend the Young Ladies Seminary near San Francisco the following year. But she kept an eye on both Fionn, who was trying to conceal a slight cough, and Delphine, who kept shifting in her seat as if she couldn't get comfortable.

When Hop Sing announced that dinner was ready, the Cartwrights and their guests rushed to the tables. Adam, Josie, Molly, Fionn, Ross, Delphine, Hoss, and Patience sat at the smaller table in the living room while everybody else sat at the regular dining-room table. Little Joe had expressed displeasure at not sitting with his brothers (Ben had thought it best to keep him separated from Fionn, who had been throwing hints that he and Joe should get together for drinks again), but he was placated the instant that Hope Lovejoy turned to him and asked him what he thought about college-educated girls.

"Well," Joe said, puffing up, "I've always thought college-educated women were the best sort. No one encouraged Josie to continue her studies more than I did."

Adam rolled his eyes.

As Reverend Lovejoy blessed the food, he thanked God for His blessings and asked Him to keep watch "over all the men who are not with their families this day as they fight to preserve their country and to free from bondage those whom men would keep enslaved." Josie pictured her father, who had not had leave from the Army since last Christmas and was most likely shivering in a tent somewhere in Virginia. A tear slid down her face, and Fionn, who couldn't have kept his eyes closed for a prayer longer than twenty seconds if it meant his life, squeezed her hand under the table. When he tried to let go, Josie held fast until the prayer ended and everyone dived into the food.

The house lit up with voices as all the diners praised Hop Sing's cooking and passed around bottles of wine. Adam snatched one away from Fionn and Josie just as they were about to pour second helpings for themselves.

"Easy there, you two," he said with a devilish grin. "Wouldn't want you to overdo it."

Everyone but Josie and Fionn laughed as Adam handed them a pitcher of milk. Not to be outdone, Fionn accepted the pitcher and poured tall glasses of the creamy liquid for himself and Josie.

"Sláinte, Hey, You," Fionn said, raising his glass to Josie. Josie grinned and clinked her glass against his, and the friends drank to each other's health and sobriety.

As the Cartwrights and their guests grew increasingly stupefied with food (even Pip and Conall had eaten to their heart's content), Delphine shifted around even more in her seat. Josie was about to ask Dell if everything was ok when Dell's hand flew to her stomach and she let out an alarmed "Oh!" Josie sprang from her seat and darted around the table.

"What's wrong, Dell?" she asked.

Delphine looked up at Josie with tears streaming down her face as she clutched Ross's hand. "I don't know," she gasped. "Josie, I think something's wrong with the baby. I knew this would happen. I just knew it!" She dissolved into sobs. Ross just stood there holding her hand and trying to be stoic, but his face was on the verge of crumpling.

Everyone's eyebrows shot up at the word "baby." Apart from Josie, no one but the Marquettes knew that Delphine was pregnant. Ignoring the astonishment of the other eleven people, Josie ordered Ross to take Dell into the guestroom while she dashed upstairs to retrieve her medical bag. When she returned to the first floor, she had to shove past Adam, who was standing at the threshold to the guestroom, unsure whether he should go in to support his friends or stay out and give them their privacy. Josie aided his decision by ducking into the room and slamming the door in his face.

Once at Delphine's bedside, Josie asked her what sort of pain she was feeling.

"It's not pain, really," Delphine choked out as she tried to control her sobs. "It's like I've got butterflies in there. Oh, Josie, I'm losing the baby, aren't I?"

Much to Ross and Delphine's surprise, Josie's eyes lit up. "I don't know about that, Dell. Hold on a moment." She fished her stethoscope out of her bag and placed the business end of the horn-shaped instrument against Dell's abdomen. She bent down and listened intently for several seconds, waving once at Ross to be quiet when the slim man opened his mouth to say something. A huge smile broke across Josie's face, and she turned to the Marquettes with tears coursing down her cheeks. "There's nothing wrong at all," she said. "Dell, your baby's quickened. What you're feeling is him moving around in there."

Delphine's tears dried up instantly, and she broke into a giant smile that echoed Josie's. Ross, on the other hand, burst into tears and had to sit down on the edge of the bed. When he pulled himself together, Josie encouraged him to put his ear to the stethoscope and listen to his baby moving around in his wife's womb. Ross burst into tears again.

"I think you're a bit further along than we originally guessed," Josie said to Delphine as Ross recomposed himself once more. "I think maybe you're five months along instead of four. Was your cycle normal the month before you missed it?"

"Come to think of it, it was a lot lighter than usual," Dell answered. "And shorter. Only about two days."

Josie nodded. "I think you better be ready for this baby in March instead of April."

Delphine beamed, and she reached her arms up to hug Josie. "Oh, Josie, would you please go out and tell everybody? I think Ross and I need a few moments, but they've got to be worried out there."

Josie was more than happy to make the announcement to everyone during their Thanksgiving meal. When she relayed the news, a huge cheer went up, accompanied by excited barks from Pip and Conall. Adam dropped heavily into his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't known about Delphine's four miscarriages, but he knew that Ross and Dell had wanted children ever since their marriage ten years ago. As the news sank in, he wondered if the child would look more like Ross or more like Delphine. "Hopefully Dell, for the kid's sake," he thought to himself with a chuckle and hoped he could remember that quip to tease Ross with later.

Hop Sing raced to the cellar and brought up more wine, and before long, everyone was toasting Dell, Ross, and the forthcoming Marquette. Ross and Dell emerged, glowing, from the guestroom in time for dessert, and Delphine, claiming she couldn't possibly choose between apple and pumpkin, treated herself to two slices of pie.

After the meal, everyone retired to the great room where various checkers matches broke out and the rest of the guests swapped stories and expressed their hopes for the following year. Hoss and Patience both turned bright red when Ben mentioned the word "grandchildren." Adam chuckled until Ben caught his eye and followed up with "At least my SECOND son is settling down!"

"Glad I'm the youngest," Joe muttered to Fionn. "The thought of marriage makes me itchy."

"I doubt it's as bad as all that," Fionn replied. His eyes drifted to Josie and then snapped back to the checkerboard where Little Joe was trouncing him.

Much to Patience and Hoss's dismay, the Lovejoys left in the late afternoon. Reverend Lovejoy claimed he still had a sermon to write for Sunday, and Mrs. Lovejoy reminded Patience that they still had some finishing touches to put on her wedding gown. Ross took Delphine home shortly thereafter so they could get home before the temperature started to drop. But at Ben's invitation, Molly, Fionn, and Conall stuck around until the late evening. Hop Sing set the leftovers out on the table so everyone could graze on the remaining ham and biscuits at their leisure. Josie continued to keep an eye on Fionn, who was still coughing occasionally, and before he and Molly left, she gave him a shot of whiskey mixed with honey to keep his cough from flaring up on the cold drive home.

"You sure this is a good idea, Hey, You?" Fionn asked when Josie handed him the little glass of whiskey. "We got into a spot of trouble last time I started drinkin' here."

Josie giggled. "This is medicine," she said. "It's different."

Fionn winked at her and drained the whiskey in one gulp. He shivered as the alcohol sent a wave of warmth through his body. "That's good whiskey," he said, gazing at the amber droplets lingering in the bottom of his glass. "You should give me another one, just to be sure that cough won't come back."

"Nice try." Josie snatched the empty glass from him and took it into the kitchen. When she returned, she studied Fionn's face, telling herself for the fortieth time that day that he really did have just a cold and she shouldn't worry so much. She hadn't even worried this much about Adam when he'd been sick. "Stop being so silly, Cartwright," she thought to herself. To Fionn she said, "You'll let me know if you're not feeling better in a couple days, right?"

Fionn grinned and kissed her cheek. "Don't you worry about me, Hey, You. We O'Connells are a tough lot."

Josie gave him a hug goodbye, and once Molly and Adam were through bidding each other a prolonged farewell, Fionn took his sister's arm, called for Conall, and headed out to his wagon. Despite the cold, Josie stood on the porch with Adam until the O'Connells were out of sight.

Three days after Thanksgiving, the Ponderosa got its first snowstorm of the year. It was a bit early for such a heavy snowfall, but the Cartwrights didn't mind. Because of Hoss's wedding in a few weeks, they had opted not to hold a Christmas party this year, and they enjoyed being stuck inside together before the big event.

"Boy, am I glad we got your house finished," Adam said to Hoss just before bed one evening about two weeks after Thanksgiving. The brothers were standing at the front window together and watching snow swirl down in thick white sheets.

" _You're_ glad!" Hoss replied. " _I'm_ the one who would have to explain to Patience why there was three feet of snow in our new living room!"

The brothers laughed, but Adam could tell Hoss wasn't feeling as jovial as he was pretending to. Adam slung an arm around the big man's shoulders.

"You're giving her a beautiful home," Adam said. "And the two of you are going to make each other very happy."

Hoss gave Adam a grateful smile. "Thanks, Adam. You always could tell when I was nervous."

"It's an older brother trait, you should know that."

Hoss smiled again. "Yeah, but Little Joe is so obvious about his feelins, it don't take much intuition to figure him out."

Adam and Hoss were heading back to the living room to pour a few brandies when Pip dashed across their path and started scratching at the front door.

"Oh, lie down, Pip. You were just out," Josie said from her seat near the fire where she was attempting to embroider a pillow. Years of stitching up people had honed Josie's skills with all sorts of needlework, but she couldn't get the Christmas tree she was trying to design to look right. No matter how many times she ripped out her stitches and tried again, it kept turning out lopsided, and Josie was ready to fling the whole thing into the fireplace. Her tongue poked out one corner of her mouth as she lined up her next stitch, hoping and praying that she could get the picture even this time.

Pip looked over his shoulder at Josie and whined harder, so Adam strode over to the door to let him out. Just as he reached for the door latch, a frantic pounding on the other side of the door startled him, and he jumped back, nearly falling backward over Pip.

While Adam danced around to keep his balance, Hoss lumbered over and, one hand on his gun on the sideboard, cracked the door open. Ben rose from his chair next to the fire and joined Adam and Hoss at the door. Josie started to rise, too, but Joe laid a hand on her arm and shook his head, so she sat back down.

"Molly!" Hoss exclaimed as he recognized the slim figure shivering on the front porch. He flung the door open all the way, and Adam pushed past him.

"Molly!" Adam echoed, his eyes lighting up at this unexpected visit. "What're you doing he- Oh my god, Fionn!" Leaning against his sister, Fionn shivered violently despite the multiple layers of heavy blankets wrapped around him. His eyes were the only bit of his face visible between his scarf and his hat, and they were sunken and bloodshot. When Fionn tried to step forward into the house, he stumbled, Molly catching him just before his knees hit the porch. Adam grabbed Fionn's arm and helped Molly drag him into the house. Propping him up, Adam pulled off the younger man's hat and was unwrapping his scarf when Fionn began coughing – a deep, wet, chesty sound that frightened everyone.

Josie had shot over to the door when Hoss had said Molly's name, and the second Fionn began to cough, she started barking orders. "Get him to my clinic! I have to get my bag!" She turned and darted up the stairs, her stomach in knots.

Ben pushed Adam aside and caught hold of Fionn. "Your clinic's stone cold!" he called back to Josie. "I'm taking him into the guestroom!"

Josie stopped on the staircase landing and spun around. "Uncle Ben, he could be contagious."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Come on, son." Ben put an arm around Fionn's shoulders as they continued to shake with his cough. As Fionn stumbled, loose-kneed, alongside Ben, he was hit by a particularly vicious coughing fit, and dropped to all fours on the floor, one hand clutching his rib cage as he tried desperately to suck in air between coughs.

"It hurts! It hurts!" he gasped as he fell over onto his side and curled up in the fetal position, his whole body jerking with each cough.

Molly reached for her brother, but before she could touch him, Ben had scooped Fionn up in his arms and bore him toward the guestroom. Fionn clutched Ben's vest in one fist as he coughed into Ben's shirt. Fear rose in Ben's throat as he saw a half a dozen little droplets of blood sprinkled on the ivory fabric.

"It's all right, son," he said. "It's ok. We're gonna get you all fixed up." He hustled into the guestroom and laid Fionn on the bed. He pulled off Fionn's boots while Little Joe, who had also sprung from his seat in the living room upon hearing of the O'Connells' arrival, started building a fire in the small fireplace in the corner of the room. Molly, Adam, and Josie all burst in seconds later, Josie bearing her medical bag. Fionn was still seized by the savage cough, and his lips were turning blue. Ben rubbed Fionn's chest through the layers of blankets still enveloping him and told him to try to relax. Fionn clutched Ben's right hand as if holding on for dear life. Having handed over responsibility for her brother to the Cartwrights, Molly broke out sobbing as she watched the only remaining member of her family fighting to breathe. Adam pulled her close to his chest and watched over her head as his father tended to Fionn.

Her heart pounding, Josie shoved past everyone and ripped her bottle of chloroform out of her medical bag. She sprinkled a few drops onto a clean rag, which she pressed over Fionn's mouth and nose.

"Breathe it in as best you can, Fionn," Josie said soothingly. "This will pass. I promise this will pass." She was surprised at how calm her voice sounded, when in her head, she was screaming.

Fear filled Fionn's dark eyes as they locked on Josie's face and he struggled for air. After seconds that felt like an eternity, Fionn's coughing eased, and he was finally able to draw a breath, though he grimaced as the act of fully inflating his lungs sent daggers of pain through his chest. As his eyes began to droop, he loosened his grip on Ben's hand, which was turning purple from lack of circulation. Just before Fionn slipped into unconsciousness, Josie pulled the chloroform away. Fionn's eyes fluttered, and he grabbed Josie's hand.

"Thank you," he sighed.

Josie smiled at him and caressed his cheek, not surprised that Fionn was burning up with fever. "Don't mention it," she replied. "Now let's see if we can figure out what's bothering you." She glanced over her shoulder at her audience. The only person missing was Hoss, who could be heard banging around in the kitchen. Even Pip and Conall, who had followed Molly and Fionn into the house, were crowded into the bedroom. "First of all, we have too many cooks in this kitchen. Joe, Uncle Ben, please take the dogs into the living room. I need to talk to Molly." There was no point in telling Adam to get out, too; Molly had a death grip on his elbow, and Josie didn't want to amputate her cousin's arm just to get a little more space. When the room was more or less clear, Josie started unwrapping Fionn's blankets and asked Molly how long he'd been sick.

"He never got over that cold he had at Thanksgivin'," Molly replied with a sniffle. "That cough just held on, and then it started gettin' bad. I wanted to send for you, but Fionn wouldn't let me. Kept insistin' he'd be fine. Then this evenin', he started coughin' so hard he passed out in the living room. I didn't know what else to do, so I bundled him up and brought him here." She buried her face in Adam's shirt and drew a long, shuddering breath.

"You did the right thing," Josie said as she finally unearthed Fionn's coat– Molly must have used every blanket they owned when she'd wrapped him up. Fionn lay silently, too exhausted from coughing to speak, his pale face blending in with the white pillowcase.

"Josie, what's wrong with him?" Molly asked.

"I have an idea, but give me just a minute to find out for sure." Josie reached into her bag again and pulled out her stethoscope.

Fresh tears streamed down Molly's face. "It's the consumption, isn't it? Josie, is he dyin'?"

"I don't think it's consumption, but I need to listen to his lungs now." Josie turned to unbutton Fionn's coat when Molly spoke again.

"Josie, you have to tell me! He's all I've got!" Her sobs filled the room.

Josie sighed. She remembered finding Adam wandering in the desert the year before and those few terrible moments before she could determine whether he would survive, and she had an idea how Molly must be feeling, but right now, the seamstress was preventing her from tending to her patient – and she, too, was desperate to find out if Fionn would be all right. She turned to Molly, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"Molly, I will tell you the moment I know something definitive, but I won't know anything at all until I can listen to him breathe. I'm so sorry, but Adam, could you please?" She nodded toward the door.

"Yeah," Adam said. "Come on, sweetheart, let's let Josie work. I'll make you some tea."

Molly sniffled. "You hate tea," she whimpered.

"I didn't say _I_ was going to drink any of it. Come on." Adam led Molly from the room, leaving Josie alone with Fionn.

"All right," Josie said, finally unbuttoning Fionn's coat and then his shirt. "Let's see what's going on here."

Despite his weakened state, Fionn's eyes sparkled with mischief. "If I'd known it would get you to take me clothes off, Hey, You, I would have gotten sick ages ago," he wheezed.

Josie's jaw dropped.

"Oh, but don't go misjudgin' my intentions," Fionn added.

"You're lucky my family didn't hear you say that," Josie said, her eyes still wide.

"Why d'ya think I waited till they left?" Fionn chuckled at his own cleverness and sent himself into another fit of coughing, albeit much milder than the last.

"See? That's what you get." Josie put the chloroform rag back over his face for a few seconds until his coughing eased. She gazed down sadly at him. "Oh, Fionn, why didn't you come see me sooner? I told you to come back if you weren't feeling better."

"Didna want to be a bother."

"An attempt at which you failed miserably. Now just breathe normally. Well, as normally as you can, anyway." Josie placed her stethoscope against Fionn's chest. His heartbeat was fast and prevented her from hearing his lungs clearly. "Hmm," she said. "Your heart's in the way. Do you think you can sit up?"

Fionn hauled his top half up and drew up his knees so he could slump over them, letting his open coat and shirt fall off his shoulders. "Please hurry," he said, shivering. "I'm really cold."

Between Fionn's fever and Joe's roaring fire, Josie marveled that he could possibly be cold in this room, but it gave her another clue as to Fionn's ailment. As soon as she placed her stethoscope against his back and listened to his lungs, she knew for certain. "You've got pneumonia," she said, shaking her head as she eased Fionn back onto the pillows. She wasn't happy with the diagnosis, but it could have been worse. Much, much worse. She nearly cried with relief.

A black cloud drifted across Fionn's face. "Is it bad?" he asked, his teeth chattering

"Bad enough that you'll die? Probably not. Bad enough that you'll wish you'd die? Most assuredly."

"Thanks, Hey, You, that's real comfortin'." He threw one bare arm across his mouth as he coughed a few more times. There was a spot of blood in the crook of his elbow as he drew his arm away, and he looked up at Josie in alarm. "You sure it's not consumption? I'm coughin' up blood!"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Your lungs are just inflamed from all the coughing. A few drops of blood aren't uncommon with pneumonia. Why are you and Molly so worried about consumption anyway? It's not real common out here." Josie wiped the spot of blood off Fionn's arm with a dry edge of the chloroform rag. She grabbed several of the blankets Fionn had arrived in and tucked them in around him.

Fionn turned his face toward the wall. "Our Da died of consumption."

"Oh, Fionn, I'm so sorry." Josie reached down to brush his wavy auburn hair off his forehead, and before she could stop herself, she had run her fingers all the way through his hair. "Is that why you didn't come see me sooner? You were afraid I'd tell you that's what you had, too?"

Fionn shrugged his shoulders but smiled at Josie's touch. "I've caused you enough trouble," he said.

"Fionn, if you ever _stop_ causing me trouble, I'm going to check your pulse to make sure you haven't died." She smiled at him as she took her bottle of quinine out of her bag and poured a hearty dose into a spoon. "Here you go," she said, holding the spoon toward him. "For the fever."

Fionn's face screwed up at the bitter taste, but he took the medicine without protest. Josie leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Good man," she said. "Now you just sit tight. I'm going to go tell Molly you're not dying and get you some of that whiskey you like so much." Fionn smiled and closed his eyes.

As Josie left the room, she nearly collided with Hoss, who was trying to come in with a large pot of steaming water and several hand towels. "Thought some warm compresses might help ol' Fionn's cough," he said.

"Hoss, you are a genius. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently."

The big man beamed at Josie, who gestured to him that he should take his water and towels inside and tend to Fionn.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, Adam, Molly, Joe, and Ben jumped to their feet. Molly tried to ask Josie about her brother, but she couldn't force out the words.

"What is it, Josie?" Ben asked, grabbing her elbow.

"Pneumonia. Just like I expected."

"Is it bad?" Joe asked.

"It's not mild, but I've seen plenty of patients recover from worse. The key is keeping his cough calm so he doesn't develop more fluid in his lungs. And I have to get his fever down. He's pretty warm. Not enough to make him delirious, but it needs to come down." Josie stepped over to Molly and laid a hand on her shoulder. "The odds are in his favor," she said. "But he'll need to stay here for a week or so."

Still clutching Adam, Molly nodded.

"You'll stay here, too," Adam said, kissing Molly's forehead. "You can have my room. I don't mind sleeping in the bunkhouse."

"No need," Josie said. "I'll be down here with Fionn for the next few nights until that fever breaks. You can have my room, Molly. Feel free to dig a nightgown out of my bureau. Joe, do you have a nightshirt Fionn can borrow?"

"You bet!" Glad to be able to help his friend, Little Joe took off up the stairs toward his room.

"A clean one!" Josie called after him.

Hoss came out of the guestroom just then. "Fionn likes those compresses, Josie," he announced. "He ain't shiverin' so bad anymore. I added a few more logs to the fire, too."

Josie thanked Hoss and mixed up some honey and whiskey for Fionn. She was about to take them in to him, when she paused and handed the little glass to Molly instead. "Why don't you take this to him?" she suggested. "It'll help his cough."

Molly nodded and took the glass from Josie. "You're sure it's not consumption?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"I promise it's pneumonia. He's young and strong; he can pull through."

Molly gave Josie a weak smile and darted into the guestroom. Adam was about to follow her, but Josie grabbed his elbow. "Give them a minute," she said before filling the family in on the cause of the elder Mr. O'Connell's death.

"No wonder they were both so scared," Ben said. He grabbed Josie's arm. "Will Fionn really be all right, Josie?"

Josie met her uncle's gaze and saw in his eyes the same concern he showed whenever one of his sons was unwell. "It's bad, Uncle Ben, but I really have seen worse. He has a lot of fluid in his left lung, but it's only in his left lung. His right lung is clear. I'll have to stick close to him for a few days, but he should be ok."

Ben nodded and relaxed his grip on Josie's arm as Little Joe came downstairs bearing a spotless nightshirt. Josie thanked him and took the nightshirt into the guestroom. Adam, Ben, Pip, and Conall followed her.

Molly was sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Fionn's hair as tears streamed down her cheeks and left little dark spots on the blankets. The empty whiskey glass sat on the nightstand. Fionn's eyes were closed, and his chest was rising and falling a bit faster than normal, but evenly. Adam strode over and laid a hand on Molly's shoulder.

"We brought a nightshirt for Fionn," he said as she gazed up at him. He brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Why don't you let Josie get you settled upstairs while Pa and I put it on him?"

"No, I'll stay here." Molly turned back to her brother and sponged his forehead with a damp rag from a bowl on the nightstand as if to illustrate her point. Adam turned to Josie for help.

"Molly, how many nights has it been since you got some real rest?" Josie asked, noticing the dark circles under Molly's eyes.

"Three or four," Fionn wheezed, his eyes fluttering open. "Been keepin' her up with me cough."

Molly jumped; she hadn't realized her brother had woken up. "Traitor," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Go get some sleep, Deirfiúr," Fionn said, reaching up and tucking a lock of auburn hair behind Molly's ear. "I'll be all right."

Molly sighed. "All right, Deartháir. Is tú mo ghrá."

"Aye," Fionn replied. "I love you, too, a chuisle. Goodnight." He gave his sister a wan smile as she kissed his forehead before letting Josie lead her from the room.

Upstairs, Josie gave Molly one of her clean nightgowns, and the two young ladies changed, Josie putting on her dressing gown over her nightgown and sticking her feet into her slippers. No point not being comfortable while she sat up with Fionn. Molly giggled as she looked down and saw that her borrowed nightgown stopped a few inches shy of her ankles.

"I am a bit tall for an Irishwoman, aren't I?" she observed.

"You're lucky is what you are," Josie replied. "Adam and Hoss like to put my things up on high shelves just to watch me struggle to reach them."

Molly giggled again, and Josie smiled to see some of the sparkle return to her friend's green eyes. Molly smiled back and caught Josie up in a big hug.

"Thank you, Josie. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Josie returned the hug. "Glad I could help." When the young ladies released one another, Josie directed Molly to make use of the washroom, grabbed a couple books for herself, and headed back downstairs to her patient.

By the time Josie arrived, Ben and Adam had gotten Fionn into Little Joe's nightshirt and tucked into bed under the thick winter covers. The movement had made his cough flare up again, but Ben applied a warm compress to the young man's chest, and he soon settled back down.

"I think he's a little cooler," Ben said as Josie entered the room. Josie dropped her books onto a small table and stepped over to the bed to feel Fionn's forehead.

"I think you're right," she agreed. "That quinine must be working." She turned to Ben and Adam. "You fellas may as well go to bed. I've got things handled here."

"I'll come down in a few hours to relieve you," Ben said.

Josie shook her head. "It's all right, Uncle Ben. I can sleep in the armchair. Besides, I'm well armed." She pointed to the small stack of books on the table.

Ben frowned but agreed. He'd learned to listen to Josie when she was acting in her role as a physician. He turned to Fionn and laid a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Sleep well, son. When you wake up tomorrow, Hop Sing will have a nice, hot breakfast waiting for you."

Fionn smiled and thanked Ben, who bid everyone goodnight and left the room.

"You'll wake us if you need anything, right?" Adam asked Josie.

"Of course. Goodnight, Adam."

Adam, too, left the room, leaving Fionn and Josie alone.

"You really don't have to sit up with me," Fionn said.

"Yes, I do. I have to make sure that fever doesn't spike. Once it breaks, I'll leave you alone."

Fionn let out a little cough and groaned as he clutched his ribcage. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that hurts," he moaned.

Josie pulled back his covers, removed the compress Ben had applied, and ran her hands down Fionn's bare sides. He gasped a little at her touch and then winced and tried to pull away as she found a tender spot on the right side of his ribcage. Their eyes met, Fionn's face still contorted with pain. "Ouch," he said simply.

Josie giggled. "I'm sorry, I needed to check. I had a patient once who had coughed so hard for so long that he detached two ribs. Fortunately for you, all you've done is inflame your chest wall."

"Again, ever the comforter." He coughed a couple times and shifted around, trying to get comfortable again.

"Tomorrow I'll give you a hot bath with some Epsom salts," Josie said. Fionn's eyebrows shot up, and Josie turned bright red. "Well, I mean I'll draw you a hot bath. You can, you know, you can, can bathe yourself."

"Aye, of course."

"In the meantime, here." Josie rummaged in her medical bag and extracted one of the jars of menthol salve she'd mixed up when Adam was sick. She scooped out a generous amount and massaged it into Fionn's chest and throat. He closed his eyes and smiled as the salve warmed up, soothing his sore muscles. Josie wiped her hand off on a towel and buttoned Fionn's nightshirt. "Go to sleep," she said quietly as she tucked the covers back around his shoulders. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

Fionn nodded and reached a hand up to caress Josie's cheek. "Thank you, Josie." His hand lingered on her cheek as he held her gaze. Josie's heart began to pound, and she gave her head a little shake.

"You're welcome." She kissed his forehead. "Now go to sleep." Fionn closed his eyes and, exhausted from his illness, fell asleep within seconds. Josie watched him for a few moments and then pulled the armchair closer to the bed and sat down, drawing one of the extra blankets over herself. Then, cracking open a book, she settled in for the long night.

Upstairs, Adam knocked softly on Josie's bedroom door and smiled when Molly called him in. Stepping into the room, he chuckled when he saw her standing there in Josie's too-short nightgown.

"I'll drive you home tomorrow to pick up some things for yourself and Fionn," Adam said, pulling her into his arms. The feeling of her pressed up against him elicited its usual reaction from Adam's lower half, and Molly giggled and pulled away from him.

"Steady there, Adam, your father's right across the hall."

Adam grinned and gave Molly a demure kiss on the forehead. "I really did just want to say goodnight," he said. "If you need anything, I'm right next door."

Molly stretched up on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you. Goodnight, my love."

Adam kissed her back and slipped from the room. As he crawled into bed, he imagined the day they would be able to spend every night together with no walls separating them. He drifted off to sleep with a little smile flitting about his lips. An hour later, Adam awoke to the soft sound of his door brushing open. He grinned as a tall, slim figure swept across the room and slid into bed next to him. He drew Molly close, buried his face in her hair, and inhaled deeply.

"All of our 'supplies' are at your shop, you know," he whispered. Molly sniffled, and Adam realized she was crying. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Adam, I was so scared! I thought I was losin' Fionn tonight. When he collapsed on our living room floor, I was sure I was losin' him. I don't know what I would have done if he'd… Adam, he's all I've got!" She buried her face in Adam's nightshirt to muffle her sobs.

Adam told himself not to take her last statement personally. If he'd just watched his only remaining family member struggling to breathe, he'd be frantic, too. He stroked Molly's hair. "It's all right. Fionn will be all right. Josie's got him well in hand."

Molly nodded into Adam's chest. "Aye," she said at last, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should let you sleep. I don't expect Mr. Cartwright would be too happy if he caught me in here."

"He won't," Adam said. He sat up and grabbed his alarm clock. He hadn't used it in years – his internal clock woke him up at five-thirty on the button every morning – but tonight it would prove useful again. Ben usually rose at five-thirty, too, so Adam set the alarm for four-thirty, just to be safe. "We'll have you out of here before he wakes up."

Molly smiled and snuggled up in Adam's arms. Wrapped up together, legs entwined, Adam and Molly fell right to sleep.

In the guestroom, Josie dozed off and on throughout the night. Fionn rested well, waking only once with a coughing fit. Josie gave him another shot of whiskey and honey, and he fell back to sleep. Josie was annoyed she couldn't get his fever to drop, but at least it wasn't rising, which was good enough for now – especially considering how bad off Fionn had been when he'd arrived. In the wee hours of the morning, Josie was woken from her light sleep by what she swore was an alarm clock going off upstairs. It was a long way from the guestroom where she sat to bedrooms on the second floor, but Josie's ears were sharp, and she'd been attuned to the slightest sounds all night as she tended to Fionn. As the grandfather clock in the great room struck the half-hour, Josie was certain she heard the floorboard outside Adam's room creak. She bit her lip to stifle a giggle as she realized what must be going on.

"You are a bold one, Adam Cartwright," she muttered. "Clever, though."

Fionn coughed once and rolled over in his sleep, and Josie glanced down at him, a smile still playing about her lips. His face, no longer contorted in pain, was smooth in peaceful slumber, his long eyelashes brushing his pale, freckled cheeks. Dark stubble dotted his jaw, and Josie wondered how long it had been since he'd felt well enough to shave. Maybe Ben or one of her brothers could help him with that tomorrow. She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and leaned down to give him what her mother had called "the kiss test" to check a fever. As she bent close to Fionn, Josie realized this was the third or fourth time she'd kissed him today, and she was probably violating the emotional distance doctors were supposed to keep between themselves and their patients. She nearly drew back, but then decided she didn't care.

"He isn't just a patient," she said to herself. "He's Fionn." Somehow, his name alone summed up everything he meant to Josie, and the whole concept of "emotional distance" could go to the devil. Josie had yet to meet a doctor who could truly distance himself from his patients anyway, even if they were total strangers. And she wouldn't want to be treated by any doctor who could.

Fionn smiled in his sleep as Josie's lips touched his forehead. His fever was still steady, but this time Josie wasn't annoyed; she nearly laughed. She sat up and waved her hand in front of his face to make sure he was truly asleep, and then she leaned down again and kissed his cheek. Fionn sighed and nuzzled into his pillow. Josie scrunched her eyes shut and bit her lip to keep from giggling. She kissed his nose. This time, Fionn let out a "Murmph" sound and waved a hand vaguely near his face to brush away whatever it was that kept tickling him. Josie had to pull the collar of her dressing gown over her face. Fionn let out a few feeble coughs and one heavier one, so Josie let him be; she didn't want to set off another vicious coughing fit. She settled back in her chair, pulled up her blanket, and gazed at Fionn. He looked so snug under the thick quilts that she wished she could stretch out on the empty side of his bed and cuddle up next to him. She sighed and tucked her feet up under her.

"Sleep well, Fionnie," she whispered, and she closed her eyes.

When Josie's eyes opened again, it was to daylight streaming through the guestroom windows. The scent of frying potatoes drifted in under the door, and Josie's mouth immediately began to water. She stretched out a kink in her neck and looked down at Fionn, whose eyes were fluttering open, too.

"Hey, You," he croaked, his throat dry and angry from coughing. "Long night?"

"Not so bad," Josie said, laying her hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry. First time in days I've felt that way, too."

"We better take care of that then." Josie propped up some pillows so Fionn could sit up comfortably. He grimaced as he started coughing again and his sore chest muscles screamed. The fit passed before Josie could do anything to help him, but Fionn sat there for a few moments, massaging his ribcage.

Josie frowned. "I'll bring you some willow bark tea with your breakfast," she said. "It'll help with the pain."

Fionn nodded and dropped his head back against the pillows. Josie headed for the door to go fetch some breakfast for Fionn when Ben came in bearing a tray loaded with home fries, scrambled eggs, and biscuits with jam. He set it on the small table near the window and crossed over to Fionn.

"Sleep well?" he asked, laying a hand on Fionn's forehead as Josie had just done.

Fionn smiled and confirmed that he had while Josie zipped out to the kitchen to see about Fionn's tea. She thought Ben had brought in more food than Fionn could possibly eat even when he was healthy, and when she returned with the tea ten minutes later, she discovered why. Ben had dragged the small table close to the bed and was sitting next to it in the armchair and sharing breakfast with Fionn as he sat up in bed. Josie smiled as she set Fionn's tea on the nightstand before excusing herself from the room. Fionn was in good hands, so Josie joined her cousins at the dining room table.

"How's Fionn?" Little Joe as Josie poured herself a large cup of coffee.

"Still feverish, but his cough is a lot calmer, and he slept well," Josie reported. "Where's Molly?"

"Still asleep," Adam replied. "Poor thing's exhausted."

Josie choked on her coffee but said nothing.

"You get any sleep?" Hoss asked.

"Enough," Josie said. "Fionn will probably sleep most of the day, so I can nap when he does."

"Anything in particular Fionn needs?" Adam asked. "I'm taking Molly home later so she can pack bags for herself and Fionn."

"Nightshirts. As many as he has," Josie answered. "I'm keeping him here until Christmas whether he likes it or not."

Ben came out of the guestroom just then bearing a nearly empty tray. "That's a good idea, Josie," he said. "I've seen pneumonia before, too, and that boy's got weeks of recovery ahead of him. He ate a good breakfast, but he's really weak."

"Hope he's strong enough to come to my weddin'," Hoss said, looking a bit despondent. "The party afterward won't be nearly as fun without him."

"So long as he doesn't develop any complications, I should have him healthy enough to attend," Josie assured her cousin. "But Uncle Ben's right. He's got a long, miserable road ahead of him."

"Adam," Ben said as he handed the tray off to Hop Sing, "take Jimmy with you to the O'Connells' today. Have Molly give him a rundown of what needs to be done around their place. It shouldn't be much more this time of year than feeding the livestock, but I'm going to send him up there every day to take care of things while Fionn's out of commission."

Adam gave his father a grateful smile. He'd already planned to take care of the O'Connells' farm himself, sleeping in their barn if he had to, and he was touched that his father had thought of it, too. "I'll do that, Pa," he said.

"And Hoss," Ben said, turning to his second son, "I know we decided not to have a Christmas tree this year since we're not having a party here, but I want you and Joe to get one in the next couple days after all. We've got guests. Let's do Christmas properly."

Joe and Hoss's eyes lit up as they grinned at each other.

"Just make sure it fits in the house," Adam said.

"And no raccoons this year, ok?" Josie added.

Hoss and Little Joe stuck their tongues out at Adam and Josie even as they burst out laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

After breakfast, Adam took Jimmy and Molly over the O'Connells' farm to take care of the livestock and pack up some clothes. Josie napped in the guestroom off and on as she tended to Fionn, massaging more salve into his chest and dosing him with whiskey and honey every few hours to keep his cough still. He didn't stay awake for a long enough stretch to take a hot bath, but as long as he wasn't coughing, his inflamed muscles didn't trouble him much. His low fever persisted, though, so Josie prepared to spend another night at Fionn's bedside.

"How is he?" Ben asked as he poked his head into the guestroom before retiring for the evening. Everyone else had already said their goodnights and gone to bed.

"About the same," Josie answered, looking up from her book. "I expect he won't sleep quite so much tomorrow. Which means he'll probably feel worse, believe it or not."

Ben chuckled. "Oh, I believe it. I've had pneumonia." He shifted his glance from Fionn's sleeping form to Josie's face, and his stomach twisted as he saw how pale she was. Puffy bags hovered under each of her eyes, and Ben suspected she hadn't slept as well or as much the previous night as she had suggested. He strode over to Josie and tilted her chin up to look at him. "Child, go to bed and get some real rest," he said gently.

Josie pulled her chin out of her uncle's hand. "No, I need to keep an eye on Fionn until his fever breaks."

Ben smiled, remembering Adam's dogged refusal to leave Josie's side when she was ill with typhus. He laid his hand on Josie's shoulder. "I'll sit up with Fionn. You go to bed."

"I appreciate it, Uncle Ben, but with all due respect, I'm the doctor. I'll sit with Fionn. Besides, I gave Molly my bed. I'll wake her up if I go in there now."

"And with all due respect to you, Dr. Cartwright, I have nursed many fevers in my day, including yours. Go sleep in my bed. I promise I'll come wake you if Fionn's fever spikes." He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling the same way her father's did.

Josie smiled back. The thought of sleeping in a bed _was_ appealing. "All right," she conceded. "As long as you promise." She rose from the armchair and hugged her uncle tightly around the waist, leaning her head into his broad chest. She stood there for several long moments, enjoying feeling her uncle's strong arms protecting her. "Goodnight, Uncle Ben," she murmured into his dressing gown.

Ben kissed the crown of her head. "Goodnight, Josie." He let her go and watched with another little smile as Josie kissed Fionn's forehead and scooted from the room. Ben settled in the armchair and picked up Josie's abandoned novel. "Ah, _Gulliver's Travels_ ," he said happily. He cracked open the book and let Jonathan Swift sweep him away.

Fionn slept soundly with Ben leaning over every twenty minutes or so to dab his forehead with a cool, damp rag. But sometime between two and three o'clock, Fionn started thrashing around. Ben leapt to his feet and bent over the bed.

"Son? Son, are you all right?" he asked, laying a hand on Fionn's shoulder.

"Da?" Fionn wheezed, his eyes still closed. "Da?" Ben shook his shoulder, and Fionn's eyes flew open. He shot upright and pitched into a coughing fit. Ben rubbed his back and handed him a glass of water. Fionn tried to sip the water, but he was coughing too hard, so Ben grabbed the jar of menthol salve, pulled off the lid, and jammed the little jar under Fionn's nose. As the vapors settled Fionn's cough, Ben gave him another shot of whiskey and honey. "Thank you," Fionn said, dropping backward onto his pillows. "Sorry about that; must have been dreamin'." He looked around the room. "Where's Josie?"

"I sent her to bed. And it's all right. My father visits me sometimes, too."

Fionn's eyes darkened as he shifted around on his pillow. "Oh. Aye."

Ben studied the young man's face for a moment. "How long has he been gone, Fionn?"

"Two years come February. Died the day before me twenty-second birthday, he did."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Well," Fionn said with a little chuckle. "Don't think he did on purpose."

Ben chuckled, too. "No, I suppose not."

"How about you?"

"Me? I haven't died yet."

Fionn grinned. "I meant your father. Did he know your boys?"

"No," Ben said, smiling sadly. "No, he died when I was seventeen. Apoplexy. Jacob, Josie's father, was only twelve."

"Oh, that's terrible."

Ben shrugged. The passage of nearly forty years had dulled the pain. "It was a miracle I was even home when it happened. I'd run off to sea the year before. My father wanted to send me to college, but I didn't want to go. I was too impatient to get my life started, so I joined up with the merchant ship _Wanderer_ as a cabin boy under Captain Abel Stoddard." Fionn's eyes lit in recognition, and Ben smiled. "I see Adam and Josie have told you about their grandfather. I'd worked my way up to first mate by the time I married Elizabeth. I just wish my father could have seen that. He was so angry with me when I left for 'throwing away my future,' as he saw it. I'd only come home between voyages that summer because I'd promised Jacob I'd be home for the Fourth of July. America was turning fifty years year, and Boston was having a huge celebration. Things were tense between my father and me, but fortunately we were starting to work things out when he died. I wish we could have fully reconciled, but at least the anger was gone. Marie and I named Little Joe after him."

"Did you stay home after he died? To take care of your mam and brother?"

"No," Ben admitted. "I didn't know what else to do besides return to sea and send them part of my pay. It was enough to keep Jacob in school, at least. When my mother died two years later, I gave him my half of the inheritance. It wasn't much, but it got him through medical school."

"So neither of your parents knew your boys," Fionn mused, more to himself than to Ben.

"No, they didn't."

"That's me as well. My parents will never know my children." Fionn turned his face toward the wall.

"It's hard to lose your parents young," Ben said, dabbing at Fionn's forehead with a damp rag. "Especially when you're left with someone to take care of. But you've done well for yourself, Fionn. You've taken good care of your sister and done an excellent job with that farm of yours. I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you."

Fionn nodded but waited a few more moments before turning back to face Ben. "A farm that needs me attention. Thank you for everythin' you've all done for me and Molly, Mr. Cartwright, but we'll be gettin' home first thing tomorrow."

Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Don't be silly, Fionn, you can't possibly leave yet. Your fever hasn't even broken."

"I may not have much more than a couple horses, a milk cow, and an old sow, Mr. Cartwright, but they won't wait around for me fever to break. They need tendin' now."

"We've already taken care of them," Ben said. He smiled at Fionn's surprised expression. "I sent a hand over there this afternoon. He's going to ride out every day to take care of your livestock and keep an eye on the place until you're well. Sometime around Christmas, according to Josie."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Cartwright, but I can't take that kind of charity."

"It's not charity. What you need to understand, Fionn, is that you don't become friends with the Cartwrights; you become part of the family. So you just worry about getting well and let Pa Cartwright worry about everything else." He rested a hand on the young man's forehead.

Fionn's eyes welled up, and for a second, Ben thought he was going to cry. But then, just as he had in front of Josie a few months before, Fionn bit down hard on his lower lip and took as deep a breath as his battered lungs would allow. The tears in his dark eyes receded, and he smiled up at Ben.

"Thank you, Mr. Cartwright."

Ben stared in amazement at the young man's emotional control. "This kid could give Adam a run for his money," he thought. "You're welcome," he said aloud. "Now you go back to sleep." He tucked the covers up around Fionn's shoulders and sat back down in the armchair. When he looked over the top of his book a minute later, Fionn was sound asleep, still wearing a small smile.

True to Josie's prediction, Fionn was awake most of the following day but feeling so miserable he looked a bit disappointed when Josie told him that he wasn't dying. His fever still hadn't broken, but Josie knew it was only a matter of time. In the late afternoon, she filled the bathtub with Epsom salts and steaming water and then vacated the area while Adam helped Fionn up the stairs and into the bath. Fionn insisted on walking up the stairs unassisted, but after only three risers he was winded and coughing, so Adam ignored his protests and carried him the rest of the way to the washroom. The hot bath went a long way toward soothing Fionn's aching body, and he nearly fell asleep in the tub.

Molly, meanwhile, had endeared herself forever to Hop Sing by taking up his mending pile. Her talented hands flew through the work at twice the rate Hop Sing could have managed, and by suppertime, she was delivering repaired shirts, socks, and trousers to the Cartwright men. She had brought the bridesmaids' dresses for Hoss's wedding over from her house to finish off. She had only a few minor details remaining, and it really didn't take her any longer to complete these by hand than it would have done on her machine. Josie squealed with delight when Molly revealed her finished gown, and wished the wedding day would hurry up and arrive.

That night, the family gathered in the living room to decorate the giant pine tree that Hoss and Little Joe had cut that afternoon. Before they raised the tree into position, Josie had Pip give the whole thing a good sniff, just to be sure there was no wildlife hiding in the branches. Molly doubled over in hysterics as Ben related their adventure with the raccoon the previous Christmas, and Adam laughed to see how excited Molly was about decorating the house. She was like a little girl, running around the living room, opening up boxes of ornaments, and wrapping red and gold ribbons around fresh pine boughs to hang from the staircase banisters. He glanced over at Hoss and hoped that maybe next year the family would have a tiny Cartwright to help them celebrate. At the very least, Adam fully intended there to be two "Mrs. Cartwrights" in the clan by then. He smiled at Molly and had to remind himself yet again not to burst out with a proposal.

"Two more weeks, Cartwright," he told himself. "Keep yourself together just two more weeks."

Josie let Fionn come into the living room to watch the proceedings and even allowed him to hang one small ornament on a low branch of the tree before ordering him to lie down on the settee for the rest of the evening. Though it was still two weeks until Christmas, Josie couldn't resist dragging Hop Sing into the kitchen to help her make hot chocolate. When they reappeared with seven steaming mugs, Josie insisted Adam read _A Christmas Carol_ aloud to the family. Fionn was taking up the entire settee, so Ben and Hoss dragged in extra chairs from the dining room, leaving the two armchairs for the ladies. Once everyone was assembled, Adam began to read.

"Marley was dead, to begin with…"

Fionn's fever broke the next morning, and he tried to make a case for why he should be allowed to go home, but Josie and Ben wouldn't hear of it.

"You're still sick, Fionn," Josie said. "You do too much too soon, and that fever will come back even worse."

"Yeah, son," Ben added. "You can't even walk from your bed to the door without swaying on your feet. You're here through Christmas, and that's the end of it." He turned and stalked out of the room, muttering something about burning the Ponderosa brand into Fionn's backside in case he tried to run off.

Since Fionn was on the mend, albeit a slow one, Josie decided no one needed to sit up with him that night. Adam renewed his offer to sleep in the bunkhouse so Molly could have his room, but Josie and Molly had already gotten so excited over the prospect of a sleepover in Josie's room that Adam's offer was unnecessary. After more hot chocolate and Stave Three of _A Christmas Carol_ , the two young ladies flitted off to Josie's bedroom. They did not, however, go to sleep. Adam could hear them giggling together through his and Josie's shared wall, and around midnight, Ben banged on the door to ask them if they would mind terribly quieting down so everyone else could get some sleep. Adam laughed to himself. Much as he would prefer to have Molly in bed with him, it seemed that she and Josie were having a grand time.

As the days passed, Fionn's cough receded, though his inflamed muscles still ached. Molly hugged him a little too tightly one evening, and he went so pale that Josie preemptively reached for her smelling salts. Josie let him spend most days on the settee so long as he stayed quiet, but this became increasingly difficult as Fionn began feeling better. The Cartwrights took turns entertaining him. Adam taught him to play chess, and he and Ben spent hours playing backgammon. Fionn's presence was especially good for Hoss. Less than a week from his wedding, the big man was getting antsy and had developed a tendency to prowl through the house. He and Fionn kept each other occupied concocting wild stories that they shared to great amusement with the rest of the family in the evenings.

Two days before Christmas, Adam took Molly home again so she could collect the Christmas presents she had for Fionn. Fionn gave Adam detailed instructions for finding the gifts he'd hidden for Molly.

"Don't let her see them!" Fionn ordered. "It's not much, but I still want her surprised."

When Adam returned several hours later and handed Fionn a sack with the gifts, Fionn tore into it. He grinned as he pulled out a pair of soft wool mittens and a half dozen lace handkerchiefs. He looked up at Adam, and his face fell.

"Nothin' like what you can give her, but I think she'll be glad for them all the same," he said, stuffing the items back in the bag.

"She'll love them," Adam said. He sat down in the armchair alongside Fionn's bed. "And speaking of giving her things, I need to talk to you about something."

Fionn raised an eyebrow and waited for Adam to continue.

"Seeing as how you're ten years younger than me, I feel kind of silly asking you this, but you're the only male relative she's got, so-"

"Sure you can marry her!" Fionn interrupted. His eyes danced, and his grin returned, wider this time.

Adam chuckled and was surprised to feel a wave of relief wash over him. He'd planned to propose to Molly with or without Fionn's blessing, but he hadn't known until that moment just how much he'd hoped Fionn would consent. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad you agree, because I already bought a ring."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure! Just as soon as it's on your sister's finger." Adam chuckled at Fionn's irked expression, but then he grew serious. "I promise I'll do everything I can to make her happy."

"Oh, I'm sure you will, Cartwright. Besides, not like there's nothin' in it for me. Always wanted me a brother. Now I'll get the finest one a man could ask for."

Adam thanked Fionn again and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone," he said. "I plan to ask her after Hoss's wedding. Don't want to draw any attention away from his big day."

"Your secret's safe with me," Fionn assured him. "I won't even tell Conall." Conall was snoozing by the fireplace, and at the sound of his name, the shaggy dog lifted his head and wagged his tail at Fionn. At seven months old, Conall was about half Pip's size and still growing. He wasn't going to be as big as Pip, but Fionn thought he'd get close. "I guess I won't be needin' that washroom we talked about buildin'," he added.

"Why not?"

"Well, with Molly leavin' the house soon, no point, really."

"Let's build it anyway," Adam said. "Running a ranch this size, I spend a good number of days away from home, and I don't plan to let her spend the night by herself in a house miles from anyone. She'll be home with you plenty. But we'll talk about that in the spring. For now, you get some rest. Josie said you can go to the wedding on Saturday, but only if your cough stays settled." Adam patted Fionn's shoulder again and left the room.

On Christmas Eve, Adam led the family in their traditional carol sing. Molly sang along at the top of her lungs, and even Fionn joined in a bit, though his voice was rather breathy and he couldn't sing more than a verse at a time. Ben added Molly's and Fionn's stockings to the Cartwrights' collection hung from the fireplace, and everyone went to bed in high spirits. Molly and Josie sat up into the wee hours making up silly new lyrics to the carols until Ben banged on the door and told them if they didn't go to sleep he would block up the fireplace so Saint Nicholas couldn't get in to leave them any presents. Molly glanced at Josie in incredulity.

"He doesn't think that's actually a threat, does he?"

Josie laughed, clapping her hand over her mouth to muffle the noise. "Not for us, no. But it would probably still work on Hoss."

Molly giggled, and the two young ladies nestled under the thick quilts of Josie's bed. Josie blew out the lamp.

"Hey, Molly?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"What were those words you and Fionn used that first night you got here? He called you… something. I didn't understand quite what he said."

"Ah," Molly said, nodding. "He called me 'Deirfiúr.' It means 'sister.' 'Deartháir' means 'brother.' We've been callin' each other that since we were little."

"So what was 'ah chizzle,' or something like that?"

Molly giggled at Josie's pronunciation. "'A chuisle,'" she corrected. "It means 'my pulse.' Comes from the phrase ' **A chuisle mo chroí** ,' which means 'pulse of my heart.' It's a term for anyone you can't live without."

"A chuisle," Josie repeated, rolling it around on her tongue, trying it out. She grinned up into the darkness of the room. "Surprised you don't call Adam that."

Molly laughed. "What would be the point? Doesn't speak Irish, does he?"

Josie joined her in quiet laughter. Molly's hand groped around under the blankets until it found Josie's, and she gave her a squeeze.

"This has been fun, Josie. Maybe Fionn gettin' sick was a blessin' in disguise."

"Yeah, maybe," Josie agreed. She wanted to say more but was afraid of saying too much, so she changed the subject. "We should get to sleep. Hoss and Little Joe wake everyone up early on Christmas morning."

"Aye. Goodnight, Josie."

"Goodnight."

Josie closed her eyes and tried to drift off, but Molly kept rolling around and jostling the bed. After five minutes of being bounced about like a homemade canoe on Lake Tahoe, Josie poked her in the shoulder.

"Just go to him," Josie whispered. "I won't tell anyone. But remember what I said about Hoss and Joe getting up extra early."

Molly flushed, grateful that Josie couldn't see her face. "Oh, well, I, uh-"

"No one else knows," Josie assured her. "Just go. And come see me in Paul's clinic on Tuesday. I have something that will make your life more enjoyable."

Molly blushed even brighter but threw back the covers and got out of bed. "Please don't think less of me," she whispered.

"Are you kidding? I've never seen Adam as happy as he's been these past few months. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him."

"I promise, we're only goin' to sleep."

"Molly, the only thing I ask is that you don't give me any details you wouldn't want to hear about Fionn."

Molly bit back a bark of laughter. "That's fair," she whispered. "Goodnight, Josie."

"Goodnight."

Molly slipped out of the room, and Josie rolled over onto her stomach and giggled into her pillow.

Having received stern threats from Ben the previous night, Hoss and Little Joe let everyone sleep until five-thirty, at which time Molly had been back in bed with Josie for an hour. Joe banged on Josie's door while Hoss grabbed Adam and hauled him out of bed. Everyone collided in the hallway, wrapped up in dressing gowns and rubbing sleep from their eyes.

"Happy Christmas!" Molly cheered, kissing everyone's cheeks. "Let's go get Fionn!" She led the pack of Cartwrights downstairs and left them in the living room while she burst into the guestroom to collect her brother.

Adam laughed as the sound of "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Molly! Can't a man sleep around here?!" drifted out to the living room. He loved having Molly and Fionn living in the big house with the family, and he grinned even more broadly as he realized that this was only the first of many, many Christmases they would all spend together. Josie caught his eye, and he shot her a little wink, grateful for her discretion. He and Molly really had just slept the previous night, but it was a better sleep than he could ever have managed on his own. Josie winked back, and the cousins smiled at each other, basking in their little secret.

Molly emerged from the guestroom, Fionn staggering behind her, just as Hop Sing popped out of the kitchen with a tray bearing a large pot of coffee and seven mugs. Ignoring the coffee, Little Joe and Hoss started handing around bulging stockings.

"You really shouldn't have done this, Mr. Cartwright," Molly said, taking her stocking from Hoss.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ben said, digging into his own stocking. "I didn't do a thing. This is Saint Nick's work."

"He's been trying to sell that Saint Nick story my whole life," Adam said, shaking his head.

"I feel bad," Molly whispered to him. "We don't have gifts for all of you."

"No one expects you to," Adam whispered back. "Now hush up and enjoy yourself." He gave her a quick kiss and returned his attention to the contents of his stocking. He pulled out a small box of tea, which he chucked at Josie's head. "Very funny, Josephine."

Josie ducked, and the box sailed past her and bounced off Conall's head and then onto Pip's. Both dogs looked up from the bones they were gnawing on and glared at Adam.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Josie giggled. "This is all Saint Nick's work, remember? You must have been naughty this year." The full meaning of what she'd just said sank in, and she bent double in hysterical laughter.

Adam quickly changed the subject by turning attention to Hoss, who had finished with his stocking and was digging into the gifts under the tree. The big man's blue eyes filled with tears as he opened a small package from Ben and extracted a pair of gold cufflinks, inlaid with pearl.

"Those were my father's," Ben explained. "I wore them the day I married your mother, and I want you to have them for tomorrow."

Hoss's eyes overflowed, and he caught Ben up in a hug that left the older man red-faced from lack of oxygen. Adam smiled as he watched. He was glad that Ben had given Hoss a family heirloom. Ben had given him the first Joseph Cartwright's pocket watch, and Rachel had passed along a few things from Captain Stoddard, so it was only fair that Hoss should get something. He hoped that Ben had something in reserve for Little Joe, too.

Adam watched Fionn's face fall, and he knew the young man must be thinking of his own father. He nudged Molly and jerked his head toward Fionn, hoping that Molly would be able to cheer him back up.

"Here, Deartháir," she said, snatching a package from under the tree. "This is for you."

Fionn grinned as Molly handed him the gift, which she'd wrapped in cheerful red fabric secured with a ribbon. He ripped off the ribbon and let the wrappings fall away. "Oh, Molly, you're so predictable, but ever so good to your poor, helpless brother." He held up a new pair of brown trousers and a blue shirt.

"I assume you made those yourself," Adam said, turning to Molly with a smile.

"Aye, makes me new clothes every Christmas," Fionn answered for her. "I'd be stark naked without her."

Josie had to force herself to laugh along with the rest of the family and hoped desperately that they hadn't seen her blushing.

"I made this, too," Molly said, handing Adam another brightly wrapped package. It was quite large, and Adam at first thought Molly had made him a quilt. But instead, he extracted a beautiful red wool saddle blanket with a tan and turquoise diamond pattern. "I thought the red would look pretty on Sport," she said, suddenly shy.

Adam broke into a huge grin. "Molly, it's beautiful!" he exclaimed. He laid the blanket across his lap and pulled Molly in for a lingering kiss.

"All right, you two, that's enough!" Little Joe huffed.

"Yeah, _I'm_ the one gettin' married tomorrow!" Hoss added.

Ben distracted everyone by handing out more gifts: a new rifle for Joe (he'd desperately wanted a repeater like Josie's), a set of drafting pencils for Adam, and for Josie, a pair of plush velvet slippers. Josie was hard on footwear, and the slippers she'd brought from Philadelphia were showing their age. She popped the new ones on and wiggled her toes happily. Molly was thrilled with the mittens and handkerchiefs from Fionn, and further delighted by black silk dancing slippers from Adam. Everyone got quite the laugh when Josie presented Fionn with an unopened bottle of the whiskey she'd been using to control his cough.

"Just don't drink it all at once!" Ben commanded with a chuckle.

"Aye, I won't," Fionn assured him. "We all know how _that_ turns out!"

The star of the show that morning was the portrait Adam, Hoss, Josie, and Little Joe had made at the Fall Festival. Ben stared suspiciously at his children as they handed him the giant package, but as soon as he tore through the brown paper, his eyes filled with tears. They'd sent away to San Francisco for a gold frame that matched the ones holding the portraits of Ben's wives. The frame had had to be specially made, and the cousins had been nearly beside themselves with anxiety that it wouldn't arrive on time.

"How did all four of you manage to sit still long enough to have this done?" he asked as he wiped his eyes.

"I drugged them," Josie quipped.

Everyone laughed, and Adam took the portrait from his father's hands and hung it over the sideboard next to the front door, where he'd already removed the mirror that had hung there. Ben followed him over to admire the portrait on the wall.

"I do hope you had one made for your parents," he called over his shoulder to Josie.

"Oh, yes, sir," Josie replied. "Though it's a lot smaller. I didn't even want to think about how difficult it would be to ship a portrait this size all the way to Boston."

Ben nodded agreement. The portrait now hanging on his wall was about one and a half by two feet. Shipping it clear across the continent without damaging it would be a feat, indeed.

"I had a smaller one made for me and Patience's house, too," Hoss said.

"Yeah, we all had small ones made for ourselves," Adam said with a grin.

"And now that we don't have to worry about ruining the surprise, we can finally set them out!" Little Joe added.

Ben made a circuit through the great room to hug his niece and each of his sons – even Adam, who didn't duck quite fast enough to avoid his father's embrace.

Typically, the Cartwrights spent Christmas Day lounging about the living room with their new gifts, but this year, with Hoss's wedding the next day, they found themselves caught up in a flurry of preparations. Hope Lovejoy and Sally Cass arrived in the early afternoon so Molly could do a last-minute check of the bridesmaids' dresses to be sure everything was in order (it was), and Hop Sing pressed and brushed the Cartwright men's suits. Ever the seamstress, Molly made each of them model their suits for her. She specialized in ladies' dresses, but she knew her way around a jacket and trousers, and she shook her head at the frayed state of Little Joe's trouser cuffs.

"I can fix these well enough that you won't look like a vagrant durin' the weddin'," she said, "but you have to come by me shop next week and let me measure you for a new pair."

Joe blushed at the thought of his brother's girlfriend measuring his inseam. "Oh, well, I usually order my suits from a fellow in San Francisco-"

Molly cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, Joseph. It'll be months before you get to San Francisco again, and I can make you a new pair now. You'll come by me shop next week."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ben found himself both glad and regretful that they weren't holding the wedding at the Ponderosa. Hoss and Patience, naturally, wanted to be married in the church, so for the sake of convenience, they were holding the reception in the restaurant of the International House. Ben was glad they didn't have to move the furniture or prepare the house and yard for the fifty-three guests who had been invited, but holding the wedding on the ranch would have given them more to do to fill the day and use up the nervous energy everyone had. Hoss, typically so relaxed and calm, was prowling about the house, constantly poking at the fire, adjusting the chairs around the dining room table, and using his shirttail to polish imaginary fingerprints off the golden frame of his mother's portrait on Ben's desk. Joe was following him around, making minute adjustments to Hoss's corrections and drumming his fingers nonstop against his thigh.

"You sure you got everything outta your room that you wanted to take, Hoss?" Joe asked for the thirteenth time.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Got it all moved into the new place already." Hoss was taking only his personal effects; since he'd ordered new furniture for his new house, the bedroom furniture in the main house was staying behind for guests. "You know, maybe we should ride out there again. Just to check. I wouldn't want anything out of order when Patience gets there tomorrow."

Little Joe agreed and was halfway into his coat when Ben stopped him.

"Boys, you spent the whole day out there yesterday. I assure you, nothing has changed."

"Yeah, but Pa, you always said it never hurts to double check," Hoss argued. Joe nodded so hard in agreement that his hat fell down over his eyes.

"Pa," Adam called from in front of the fireplace where he'd been pacing back and forth for the last fifteen minutes. "Just let them go."

Ben gazed into the eyes of his two younger sons, standing shoulder-to-shoulder as they had done their entire lives, and nodded. "All right. Just be home by supper."

Hoss and Joe hustled into their coats, hats, and gun belts, and scurried off. Ben ambled back to the living room, grabbed Adam's arm, and shoved his son onto the settee. "Sit down," he grumbled. "You're making me anxious."

"Sorry, Pa."

From upstairs came the tinkling laughter of four young ladies still trying on gowns. Ben smiled and then cast a discerning eye on his eldest son.

"This is difficult for you and Joseph, isn't it?" he asked.

"Quite the contrary, Pa. I think we should have extra women in the house more often."

"You know what I mean."

Adam sighed and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. "Yeah, it is. Hoss, too, I suppose. It's always been the three of us against the world, and now… I know he won't be far away, but it won't be quite the same. Especially for Joe. He's never known life without Hoss right there by his side. They're not just brothers; they're best friends."

"And partners in crime, as often as not," Ben added with a chuckle.

Adam smiled. "That, too."

"Believe it or not, it won't be any easier on Joe when you leave," Ben said, pointing a finger at Adam. "Much as the two of you butt heads, he adores you."

"Me? Who said anything about me leaving?"

Ben raised an eyebrow at Adam. "Young man, I have been many things in my life, but an idiot is not one of them. Admit it: You have plans to propose to Molly, don't you?"

"Pa, I'm not gonna lie to you," Adam said. And without another word, he got up and left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Ben sent everyone to bed right after supper that night. He claimed that they needed the extra rest for the big day ahead of them tomorrow, but everyone knew he was just sick of all the pacing and furniture-rearranging.

"It's too bad my mother couldn't come for the wedding," Josie sighed as she and Molly changed into their nightgowns. "But there's no way she'd get over the Sierra Nevada this time of year."

"I'd love to see your mother again," Molly said. "She's lovely. Reminds me of me own Mam. Adam speaks quite fondly of her."

Josie smiled. "He'll never say so, but he loves the mothering he gets when she's around. Hoss and Joe do, too."

"You can never replace a parent, but there's somethin' to be said for surrogates. Your uncle's been mighty good for Fionn these past two weeks. I haven't seen him this relaxed in years, just knowin' that everythin's taken care of."

Josie smiled. "I should check on him one more time before bed. See if he needs anything." She pulled on her dressing gown, stuck her feet in her new slippers, and zipped downstairs to the guestroom. Fionn answered on her first knock, and Josie slipped into the room. Fionn was poking the fire in the room's little fireplace, and he broke into a wide smile as he turned to Josie. He, too, was in a nightshirt and dressing gown, though his feet boasted only a pair of gray socks.

"Hey, You!" he cheered. "I promise I've been restin'. I only wanted to make sure I wasn't goin' to get cold halfway through the night."

"That's my good patient," Josie said, grinning back at him. "Do you need anything before I go to bed?"

"Just this." Fionn stepped over to the bed and pulled a rectangular package out from under his pillow. He ducked his head as he handed it to Josie. "Little Christmas present." He ran a hand through his hair as Josie accepted the package. "Felt bad givin' it to you in front of everyone since I didn't have anythin' for them."

"Everyone would have understood, Fionn. Besides, Molly gave Adam a gift."

"Yeah, but that's Adam and Molly, isn't it? Everyone understands them. Think it's different with you and me. Wouldn't want anyone misjudgin' my intentions."

"I suppose not." Josie smiled at him again. "Shall I open it now?" Fionn nodded, and Josie tore into the brown paper. Her breath caught as she gazed down at a brand-new copy of _Northanger Abbey_.

"Meant it to be a birthday gift," Fionn explained. "But the bookseller in San Francisco didn't have it, so I had to send away to New York, and it didn't get here in time."

"You sent all the way to New York for this?"

"Aye." Fionn shifted nervously; Josie was still staring down at the book, her mouth agape. "It's the right one, isn't it? The one you lost? I thought I remembered you sayin' _Northanger Abbey_ was your favorite Austen novel."

Josie nodded, still staring at the beautiful leather-bound volume in her hands. "It is. I was really upset when my copy ended up at the bottom of Lake Tahoe." She opened the cover to the front endpaper. Written in a neat script was "To Josie, from her friend, Fionn O'Connell, Christmas 1863." "Oh, you inscribed it!"

Fionn blushed. "Actually, Molly did it for me. If I'd done it, you'd never be able to read it. Is it – Is it all right, then?"

The words blurred on the page as tears filled Josie's eyes. "Fionn, it's perfect," she whispered. She looked up at him, and as their eyes met, a thousand memories flooded her brain. Fionn, bruised and sore, offering to help Ben with the cattle so Hoss could comfort her after she broke up with Simon. Fionn sweeping her around the dance floor on the Fourth of July. Fionn driving through the night just to bring her a book. Fionn dragging her outside to show her a meteor shower. Fionn comforting her when she received her last letter from Simon. And Fionn, writhing on the Cartwrights' living room floor, wracked with a vicious cough, in those terrible moments when she thought they might lose him. Suddenly, everything made sense. She set the book on the nightstand.

"Fionn," she said, her voice husky and trembling. "Don't misjudge my intentions." She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips hard against his.

Fionn's whole body stiffened in surprise, his arms flung out to the sides. But as Josie's lips lingered on his, he relaxed, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her tightly against him. As his breathing quickened, he felt the now-familiar fluttering in his chest, and he had to break away from Josie as his cough surfaced. He sat down on the edge of the bed as Josie handed him a glass of water and brushed his hair off his forehead.

"Sorry," he gasped as his lungs settled. "Didn't mean to put a damper on the party."

Josie smiled and refilled his water glass. "It's ok," she whispered.

Fionn looked up at her, his eyes dancing. "I have to ask, Hey, You. That was more than just a friendly kiss, wasn't it?"

Josie couldn't answer. She blushed and gazed down at her slippers, fighting the urge to flee the room.

"I'm not complainin'," Fionn added, another little cough escaping as he chuckled. He pulled a serious face. "But you're not goin' to hit me again, are you?"

Josie giggled, seeing that mischievous twinkle in his eye that she loved so much. She stretched out a hand and caressed his cheek. "No. Never, ever again."

Fionn grinned and stood up, his arms encircling Josie's waist once more. "Good. Because I don't think I could survive a whole courtship at the receivin' end of your fist."

"So we're courting now, are we?" Josie's eyes danced with mischief of their own.

"Oh, I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think you need to kiss me, Fionn. Please kiss me."

Fionn smiled down at Josie for seconds that felt like forever before placing a palm on each side of her face and resting his lips gently against hers. Lightning shot through the pair of them, and Fionn's hands slid down Josie's arms to her waist. He pulled her against him again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The thin layers of pajamas between them left nothing to the imagination, and Josie could feel Fionn's hard length against her belly as he slipped his tongue between her lips. Josie felt a tingling between her legs and pressed herself more tightly against him. Never breaking their kiss, Fionn took a step backward and sat down on the bed, pulling Josie with him. She straddled his lap and was unbuttoning his nightshirt when the sound of footsteps in the living room broke her trance. They broke apart, gasping for breath, Fionn fighting to keep his cough at bay.

"Josie!" Little Joe called from the living room. "Put the lamp out when you come up!"

Still in Fionn's lap, Josie swallowed hard to steady herself. "Ok!" she called back. She dropped her head into Fionn's chest. "I need to go to bed."

"Aye, I think you better." Fionn started to button his nightshirt, but Josie placed her hand on his chest to stop him. Smiling, she reached behind her, took the jar of menthol salve from the nightstand, and massaged a small scoop of it into Fionn's sore side. When she finished, he placed his hands on her waist, lifted her off of him, and set her on the floor. "We should take this slow," he said.

"Yeah," Josie agreed.

Fionn played with Josie's hair. Freed from its usual braid, it hung long and loose over her shoulders. "But there is one thing that can't wait."

"What's that?"

Fionn tilted Josie's chin up so they were making eye contact again. "I love you, Josie," he whispered.

"I love you, too, a chuisle," she replied.

Fionn beamed at Josie's use of his native tongue. "I'll have to teach you to speak Irish," he said. "But that's a good start. Now go to bed before anyone gets curious." He kissed her softly a final time.

Josie smiled and took her book from the nightstand. Reluctant to leave, halfway through the door she turned back. "Merry Christmas, Fionn."

"Happy Christmas, a chuisle."

She smiled and closed the door behind her.

Once in the living room, Josie had to bite her lip to keep from squealing. She clutched her new book to her bosom and shot up the stairs. Molly nearly fell out of bed with surprise when Josie burst into the room.

"Sorry," Josie stage-whispered.

"It's all right," Molly giggled. "I'm so excited about tomorrow I'm ready to burst meself. I love weddings!"

"Yes, the wedding. Of course." Josie nearly choked as she placed her book on her desk and climbed into bed.

"Oh, so Fionn gave you the book!" Molly said, smiling. "Do you like it, then?"

"Very much," Josie said, fighting back the hysterical giggling that threatened to overwhelm her.

"And how is our dear Fionn tonight?"

Josie couldn't stand it any longer. She buried her face in a pillow and dissolved into uncontrollable laughter.

Molly raised an eyebrow but asked no questions. "Goodnight, Josie," she said, blowing out the oil lamp.

Josie gathered herself just long enough to squeak out "'Night, Molly" before bursting into muffled hysterics again.

Adam lay awake listening to Josie laugh in the next room, and he was jealous he wasn't sharing the joke; whatever it was, it must have been hilarious. A cloud crossed his face as he hoped it wasn't about him. Glad as he was that Josie and Molly were so close, he worried sometimes about what stories they might be sharing about him. There were quite a few embarrassing ones from his college years he would rather Molly not hear.

He hoped Molly would come to him. No matter how much he tossed and turned, he just couldn't get comfortable, and having her in his arms helped him to sleep better, especially on nights like tonight when his brain just wouldn't shut up. He wasn't even thinking about anything in particular, but every time he was about to drop off, he'd remember some little thing that needed his attention in the coming days – ordering some new ax heads, calculating how much lumber they'd need to open a new mine in the spring, and asking Josie if she'd mind putting Scout out of commission long enough to breed her to his dapple-gray stallion, Ruckus.

And then there was Molly's engagement ring.

Adam didn't plan to wait very long after Hoss's wedding to propose to Molly, and he got out of bed three times to make sure the ring was still tucked in his suit jacket pocket for the next day. He was grateful that his brother had chosen Ben to be his best man. Adam couldn't imagine the anxiety he'd be going through right now if he were responsible for two rings that he to be careful not to mix up.

Around twelve-thirty, he gave up trying to sleep and decided to go downstairs and see if there was any hot chocolate left. Josie and Hop Sing had made up a huge batch in a cauldron that was only slightly smaller than a bathtub; maybe something hot would settle him down. He poked his head in Josie's room on the off chance that either she or Molly was awake – he wanted some company, and he was feeling less picky as to who joined him – but both young ladies were sound asleep, haloes of hair sprayed across their pillows. He closed Josie's door and stood in the hallway for a moment, just listening, hoping to hear signs of life from any of the other bedrooms, but for once, all was quiet on the Ponderosa. He heaved a quiet sigh and trudged downstairs.

When his feet hit the first floor, it occurred to Adam that Fionn might yet be awake. He tiptoed over to the guestroom and pressed his ear to the door. He heard a small cough, but otherwise, Fionn was still, too. Adam gave up and slogged into the kitchen. To his delight, the cauldron was still a third full of hot chocolate. The liquid was now lukewarm, so Adam ladled some into a smaller pot and lit the stove. While the stove heated, he returned to the living room and prodded the fire back to life.

He was just about to check on his hot chocolate when a creak from the staircase landing drew his attention. He looked up and saw Hoss standing there in his dressing gown and slippers.

"Oh, hey Adam," he said as he descended the second flight to the living-room floor. "Didn't think anyone else was up."

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Adam asked.

"Naw, I wasn't asleep."

"Yeah, that's me, too. You want some hot chocolate?"

Hoss broke into a grin and nodded, and Adam returned to the kitchen to add some more hot chocolate to the pot. When he returned to the living room a few minutes later with two steaming mugs, Hoss was sitting in Ben's armchair and staring into the fire. He jumped when Adam came up behind him. Adam set Hoss's mug on the coffee table and settled himself on the settee. For several moments, neither brother spoke as they sipped their hot chocolate. Adam could have sat there all night, but Hoss was too sociable to let the silence linger.

"You believe it, Adam? My last night in this ol' house, and I can't sleep a wink."

"I believe it." Adam took another sip of his hot chocolate and smiled. Josie and Hop Sing sure could make a fine beverage. "They should go into business together," he muttered.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. Besides, it's not your last night here, Hoss. I'm sure you – and Patience – will end up here once in a while."

"Won't be the same."

"No, I suppose not."

They relapsed into silence until they heard a bedroom door creak open upstairs. They held their breath, hoping that they hadn't woken their father. They exhaled in unison when Little Joe appeared at the top of the stairs a few seconds later.

"Oh, hey fellas," Joe said, coming down to them.

"We didn't wake you, did we?" Hoss asked.

"I'd say yes, but that would imply I'd been asleep," Joe grumbled. "No, you didn't wake me." He plopped onto the sofa next to Adam and glanced at his brother's nearly empty mug of hot chocolate. "Hey, do you think I could-"

"Yep," Adam said, rising to his feet and returning to the kitchen to heat up some more hot chocolate. Little Joe immediately scooted into the warm space Adam left behind.

Ten minutes later, all three brothers were sipping hot chocolate – Adam had refilled his and Hoss's mugs. He marveled at how quiet they all were and realized that this was probably the first time since Little Joe's birth that the three of them had managed to be together in the same room without raising a ruckus.

"So this is it," Little Joe said as he gazed into the fire.

"This ain't it, Little Joe," Hoss said. "I'm sure Patience and me'll be here plenty."

Adam smiled.

"Yeah, but it won't be the same," Joe said.

"No, not quite," Hoss agreed.

They all tried to think of something to say but came up short, so after a few minutes, Adam pulled out the checkerboard. They took turns playing, and no one's strategy was up to par that night, but it passed the time. Sometime around three o'clock, Little Joe curled up on his end of the settee and dozed off. Eventually, Hoss followed suit, dropping his head over the back of the armchair, but Adam sat awake almost until dawn, watching his little brothers sleep.

Josie and Molly woke before anyone else the next morning. Too excited to sleep any longer, the young ladies bounced out of bed at five o'clock and tiptoed downstairs to make breakfast. This was, of course, typically Hop Sing's job, but Molly had insisted on gifting Hop Sing with a morning off, saying it was the least she could do to repay him for all the meals he'd fed her and Fionn during their stay. When they reached the staircase landing, they noticed the three figures in the living room. Hoss was slumped over in Ben's armchair and snoring softly and Little Joe was stretched out on the settee, his stockinged feet propped up on Adam's lap. Adam's head was resting on his fist, his elbow on the armrest of the sofa. A half-finished game of checkers sat on the board between him and Hoss.

Smiling, Josie finished her descent and gave Hoss's shoulder a little shake.

"Wakie, wakie, Biggest Brother," she whispered.

Hoss snorted and snapped awake. He glanced around the living room, confused, until he remembered where he was and why.

"Musta dozed off," he mumbled.

"Go up to bed," Josie told him. "I'll wake you when breakfast's ready."

Hoss heaved himself to his feet and lumbered upstairs. Josie shook her head. The bags under Hoss's eyes announced his lack of sleep, and Josie hoped he wouldn't be groggy through his own wedding that afternoon. She turned to wake Adam, but Molly was already leaning over him, giving him a soft kiss.

Adam jerked awake but smiled at Molly. "Now there's an alarm clock I could get used to," he muttered. He blinked and looked around, giving Josie a little wave. "What time is it?"

"Five," Molly answered. "Go up to bed and sleep a little longer. Josie and I are makin' breakfast."

Adam nodded, gave Molly another kiss, and stood up, sliding his legs out from under Joe's feet.

"Ain't no school today, Pa, it's a holiday," Little Joe whined as he rolled over.

Adam considered leaving Joe on the sofa but shook his brother's shoulder anyway. "Don't have to go to school, little buddy. Just go up to bed."

Joe sat up and rubbed his eyes with one fist. "Right. Bed." He grabbed Adam's proffered hand and let his older brother pull him to his feet.

Josie and Molly shook their heads as the brothers trudged up the stairs.

"Come on, we better get this breakfast started," Molly said, and she led the way into the kitchen.

Molly had planned out a traditional Irish breakfast, bringing over the necessary ingredients the last time Adam had run her out to her house, and they were all laid out on the kitchen counter. There were mushrooms, tomatoes, suet, oatmeal, brown bread, and a jar containing a liquid that Josie knew only too well. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Molly, is this blood?!" She softened her voice at the last moment, lest she wake the entire house.

Molly laughed. "Of course! You can't have black puddin' without pig's blood! Now hand me the suet, would you please?"

Josie handed it over and busied herself chopping mushrooms; the less she knew about what else went into the black pudding, the better.

"Black puddin' is Fionn's favorite," Molly mentioned. "He'd eat it every day if he could!"

Josie briefly reassessed her feelings for Fionn.

It was a good thing Josie and Molly had risen early, because they were only just finishing when Ben came downstairs. Still clad in his dressing gown and slippers, he dropped into his chair at the head of the dining-room table and rubbed his eyes.

"Morning, Uncle Ben!" Josie chirped. She kissed his cheek and poured him a cup of coffee. "Sleep well?"

"Good morning, Josephine." Ben managed a weak smile. "And no, I didn't. Just as I was about to drift off, I realized it was the last night I'd have all my children under my roof, and I lay awake until three."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Josie was instantly ashamed of her selfishness. Once she'd quit giggling over Fionn last night, she'd dropped right off to sleep with nary a thought about Hoss.

Ben patted her hand. "It's all right, my dear. Nothing you could have done. Every father goes through this, I suppose."

As he had done so often recently, Jacob marched through Josie's mind. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. Still burning with shame, she set the coffee pot on the table and darted upstairs to wake her brothers.

Adam and Hoss woke up easily, but Josie had to jump up and down on the foot of Little Joe's bed until the shockwaves rolled him onto the floor. By the time Josie finally reemerged on the first floor with her brothers in tow, Fionn had wandered out to the dining room and eaten his way through nearly half of the black pudding.

"Oh, Molly, you are too good to your baby brother," he gushed as he slipped another slice of pudding onto his plate.

"This is good, Molly," Ben said, holding a bit of pudding up on the end of his fork for inspection.

"Thank you, Mr. Cartwright. It's an Irish specialty," Molly replied. She poured Adam a cup of coffee and kissed his forehead. "Josie, would you like some?"

"No thanks, Molly. I'll stick to the white pudding."

Hoss didn't have his usual appetite, but everyone else sang the praises of Molly's breakfast. Apart from the black pudding, Josie enjoyed it all: there was white pudding (made without pig's blood), Irish sausage that Molly and Fionn called "bangers," bacon, beans, and brown bread with fresh butter. The family lingered over breakfast, none of them wanting this last meal together to end, and all of them too full to move anyway. At last, Fionn stretched his arms over his head and spoke up.

"Supposin' we should head home, Molly. Have to get on proper clothes for this weddin'."

Molly sighed and cast a longing look at Adam. "Yes, I suppose we should." She rose and began to clear the dishes from the table.

"We'll get those, Molly," Little Joe said. "Got some time to kill this morning anyway. You two go on home for a few hours."

Molly thanked him, and Joe, Adam, Josie, and Hoss took over clearing up the dishes and headed into the kitchen to start washing them. Molly headed upstairs to gather her things from Josie's room, and Fionn found himself alone in the dining room with Ben.

"You need help getting your things together, Fionn?" Ben asked as he poured himself one last cup of coffee.

Fionn shifted in his seat. "No, sir. Thank you, sir. Excuse me, please." He popped out of his chair, took two steps toward the guestroom, and turned back around. "Actually, sir, I suppose I should tell you something." Ben raised an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee. "Remember that conversation we had in your barn a few months back about lettin' Josie make the first move?"

Ben nodded, his eyebrow rising a little higher.

"Well, she did, sir."

Ben set his coffee cup on its saucer. "Are you sure, son? I'd hate to see you misunderstanding something again and both of you ending up hurt."

"Oh, I'm sure, Mr. Cartwright. She was quite clear."

Ben's stomach jumped. "How clear?" he asked gruffly. He set his palms on the table in preparation to stand.

"Oh, not _that_ clear, sir!" Fionn said, shrinking back a little. "But we had a whole conversation about the matter, and we understand each other."

Ben settled back down in his chair and resumed sipping his coffee.

"So is it all right, sir? If I court her?"

A smile finally broke through Ben's grumpy expression, and he rose from his seat and shook Fionn's hand. "Of course it is, son. Fine with me, at least, but there's one more person you should probably ask." He jerked his head toward the kitchen.

Fionn grinned, his dark eyes shining. "Aye, sir, I'll do that. Adam owes me anyway." He scampered into the kitchen, leaving Ben wondering what in the world he had meant.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Adam? Could you help me with something, please?"

Adam turned around from where he was drying dishes. Fionn was in the doorway, and he looked unusually sweaty for December. Adam hoped his fever wasn't returning; he'd pitch a fit if he wasn't allowed to go the wedding. Adam handed his dish towel to Josie and ambled over to Fionn.

"Whatcha need, Fionn?"

"Oh, I, uh, just needed some help packin' up me things."

Adam chuckled. "You're a big boy, Fionn. I'm sure you can handle it."

Fionn sighed and dropped his head, and something clicked in Adam's brain.

"But then again, I _am_ an architect. If anyone can fit all your clothes in your carpetbag, it's me. Let's go." He grabbed Fionn's elbow and led him into the guestroom, where he plopped into the armchair. "Out with it, boy."

Fionn was every bit as direct. "Can I court Josie?"

"Well, this certainly is a red-letter day. All we need is for Little Joe to turn up pregnant."

"Adam, please just answer me question. I'm dyin' over here!"

Adam grinned. "Of course you can. Can't really say no considering I'm proposing to _your_ sister tonight, can I?"

Fionn relaxed and broke into a smile, too. "I promise I'll be good to her."

Adam pulled a serious face. "You better be. I still owe Simon a beating for breaking her heart."

"You and me both, Cartwright."

Adam grinned and clapped a hand on Fionn's shoulder. "Come on. We better get you packed up. We've all got a wedding to get to!"

Fionn grinned again as Adam helped him stuff his clothes into his carpetbag.

Before she let him leave the house, Josie bundled Fionn up in his coat, hat, gloves, two scarves, and three blankets. Then she peeled all the layers off of him so she could peek down his shirt collar and see that he really was wearing his long johns as he'd promised. Fionn's face burned as Little Joe giggled at him.

"I'll be fine, Hey, You," he protested as he shrugged back into his coat. "I promise. And I'll see you this afternoon at the weddin'."

Josie sighed as she wrapped one of the scarves back around Fionn's neck. "I'm sorry. I'm worrying too much."

Fionn smiled, and before Josie could start wrapping the second scarf around his nose and mouth, he kissed her in full view of her entire family. Hoss and Joe's jaws dropped; they hadn't yet been informed of Josie and Fionn's new courtship. Even Hop Sing, who had just emerged from the kitchen, dropped the hot potatoes he'd been bringing for Molly and Fionn's coat pockets.

"Punch him! Punch him!" Joe urged Josie.

Josie giggled, her eyes still locked on Fionn's. "No, I don't plan to ever damage this face again." She gave Fionn a peck on the nose and then wrapped the scarf around his face. After wrapping Fionn back up in his blankets, she gave him a little push out the door. "Bye," she whispered.

Fionn's farewell was muffled by his scarves, but his eyes smiled as he pulled his blankets tightly around his shoulders and headed out to his waiting wagon.

Adam had already given Molly a brief goodbye kiss – anything prolonged, and he worried he'd drop to one knee right there in the entryway. As Molly followed Fionn out the door, Adam crammed his hands in his pockets and bit his lower lip.

The door closed behind the O'Connells, and the five Cartwrights stood in the entryway, rocking on their heels.

"Well!" Ben said at last, clapping his hands together. "We're leaving for town by noon, so everyone make sure you have everything packed up that you'll need for tonight."

Hoss and Patience's wedding was scheduled for five o'clock with a big dinner and party afterward at the International House. They all expected the party to last late into the evening, so Ben had booked rooms at the hotel for everyone but Hoss – he and Patience would head to their new house after the reception.

Still flushed from Fionn's kiss, Josie tore off upstairs ahead of her brothers. Adam wasn't far behind, though, as the terrible thought that Molly's engagement ring might somehow have slipped out of the pocket of his suit jacket of its own accord flitted through his mind. He dashed away after Josie and into his room.

"You have _got_ to get a hold of yourself, Cartwright!" he muttered to himself after plunging his hand into the suit pocket and feeling that the ring was, indeed, still tucked inside. He threw together an overnight bag in a matter of minutes and then plopped into his armchair, thinking that noon would take an eternity to arrive. He never even noticed himself dozing off.

"Adam! Hey, Adam!"

Adam waved a hand to try to brush away whoever was shaking him.

"C'mon, Adam, wake up! It's time to leave!"

Adam's eyes blinked open to reveal Little Joe looming over him.

"C'mon, Adam. Baxter's already got the horses all saddled up. Let's go."

"Go where?" Adam nuzzled deeper into the armchair and closed his eyes again.

Little Joe sighed. "Town, you fool! Hoss's wedding! Remember?!"

"Oh! Right!" Adam jumped to his feet and smacked into Joe, knocking the slim young man to the floor. He stretched out a hand to pull Joe to his feet. "Sorry about that, Joe."

"It's all right," Joe said, brushing off his rear end. "Just glad you didn't hit my face. The young ladies of Nevada would never forgive you for damaging this handsome mug of mine." He flashed a grin.

Adam rolled his eyes. "And which of those young ladies have you got your eye on for tonight?"

"Hope Lovejoy, of course."

"Of course. The maid of honor."

"Well, it was either her or that pretty little seamstress, but I didn't think it would appropriate for you and me to get into a tussle at Hoss's wedding," Little Joe said, giving Adam a cheeky wink.

Adam grinned and caught his little brother up in a headlock.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" Joe protested as Adam mussed up his hair. Laughing, Adam released Joe and gave him a friendly shove toward the door.

"Go on, tell Pa I'll be right down."

Joe grinned and scampered out of the room.

Ten minutes later, five antsy Cartwrights and one fussing Chinese cook were in the living room doing last-minute checks of their bags to be sure they had everything they needed for the wedding and their night in town. Molly had packed Josie's gown carefully into a trunk, which was loaded in the back of the buckboard along with the men's suits. Adam had checked his suit jacket pocket six more times to ensure Molly's ring was still there before he'd folded up the jacket and placed it in the trunk along with his father's and brothers' suits. He hadn't told anyone but Fionn that he planned to propose tonight, but he had a pretty good idea that Josie had figured it out. She kept glancing at him and giving him sly little smiles.

Everyone was too nervous and excited to eat, but Hop Sing insisted they each force down a sandwich before heading to town. The most nervous of them all, Hoss was the last person to finish a meal for the first time in his life.

At long last, everyone bundled up and headed out of the house. Ben, Adam, Joe, Josie, and Hop Sing scurried to their horses, or in Hop Sing's case, the buckboard, but Hoss turned around halfway across the yard and stared back up at the house. Adam caught his father's eye and after getting a little nod from Ben, he slid off of Sport and went over to his brother. Hoss started when Adam draped his arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, Younger Brother," Adam said. "Greater things await you."

Hoss nodded and lumbered over to his new carriage, drawn by a matched set of beautiful chestnut horses – a wedding gift from Ben. He double-checked that Chubb was tied securely to the back and climbed aboard, and the caravan set off.

The icy air stung the exposed bits of Adam's face like a thousand tiny needles, and he wished his brother had chosen a more hospitable time of year to get married. He kept a wary eye on Josie, but she seemed to be relishing the frigid ride – even though most of her face was covered in scarves, Adam could tell she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Thinking of Fionn," he chuckled to himself. The thought of Fionn made him think of Molly, and before he knew it, he was grinning from ear to ear, too. He glanced down and admired the way the new saddle blanket complemented Sport's chestnut coloring, and his mind drifted to a little red mare he'd seen at the livery a few weeks before. Molly didn't have a horse of her own – she either rode Fionn's dapple mare or took their buggy – and Adam thought maybe he should get her one as an engagement gift.

Despite the cold, the sun shone bravely, and the Cartwrights stopped halfway to town to smudge charcoal under their eyes to cut down on the sun's reflection off the snow.

"Aunt Rachel would be scandalized if she knew I was lining my eyes!" Josie giggled as Adam daubed the charcoal onto her cheekbones.

Adam chuckled. "Aunt Rachel would be scandalized by a lot of things we've done." He blotted a spot of charcoal onto the tip of Josie's nose. "Apprehending a couple of bank thieves comes to mind."

Josie grinned and wiped off her nose with the end of Adam's scarf. "Maybe we should just leave her blissfully ignorant."

"Yes, let's." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Because I'm proposing to Molly tonight, and I'd like to live to see my wedding." Adam immediately clamped a hand over Josie's mouth to muffle her squeal. "Don't let on!" he pleaded. "You and Fionn are the only two who know. We have to get through Hoss's wedding first, remember?"

Josie bit her lower lip and nodded enthusiastically. Grinning, the cousins mounted back up on their horses.

By the time they reached Virginia City, even Pip was starting to droop from the cold, and they were only too happy to leave the animals at the livery and burst into the warmth of the International House. Hop Sing helped them carry their things up to their rooms and then scurried off to his cousin's house, where he would be staying that night after the reception.

Sally Cass met them in the lobby, her arms laden with a huge garment bag containing her own gown, and she and Josie disappeared upstairs to get dressed and help each other with their hair. Since he wasn't staying the night in the hotel, Hoss followed Ben into his room to get ready, and Adam and Little Joe each disappeared into their own rooms.

Adam had just knotted his tie and was slicking down his hair when he heard a knock on his door.

"It's open!" he called.

He expected Little Joe to poke his head in sheepishly and request to borrow something he'd forgotten, like a razor, hair tonic, or cologne, so Adam was surprised when Hoss stepped into the room. He had his hat in his hands and he was crimping the brim between his meaty fingers.

"Pa driving you crazy in there?" Adam asked with a grin as he ran his comb through his hair one last time.

"Uh, no, uh, I just, uh…"

Adam turned around and set his comb on the dresser. "What is it, Hoss?"

"Adam, I don't know what to do!"

Adam's stomach whirled. "What do you mean? Are you having second thoughts about marrying Patience?"

"Oh, no, it ain't that! Way I figure it, I better hurry up and marry her before she changes _her_ mind!"

"Then what is it? You've lost me."

Hoss's face took on the hue of the bridesmaids' crimson gowns. He swallowed hard and looked down at his polished boots. "It's tonight, Adam. I don't know what to do."

Adam stared at the top of Hoss's blond head for several moments before his jaw dropped. "You mean Pa never had that talk with you when you were a boy?"

Hoss's red face turned purple. "Oh, no, he did! I know the theory, Adam, but I ain't never…"

"Really?!"

Too embarrassed to stand there any longer, Hoss turned for the door. Adam darted over to him and grabbed his arm.

"Hoss, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make fun of you. I just assumed that you and Lorelei a few years ago…"

Hoss shook his head. "Something just wasn't right between me and Lorelei. I didn't want to get in trouble and end up stuck with her."

"That was good thinking." Adam snatched Hoss's hat away from him before the big man irreparably dented its brim. Hoss finally looked back up at him.

"Adam, what if I get it all wrong? What if she laughs at me?"

Adam smiled. "She's a preacher's daughter, Hoss. I don't think you have to worry about her having enough experience in this area to know whether you're getting it wrong. Besides, you won't. You'll figure it out."

"You sure?"

"Yes. And it will be wonderful, and before you know it, you'll be having gigantic children together."

Hoss smiled bashfully. "All right. Thanks, Adam."

As the door closed behind Hoss, Adam shook his head and turned back to his mirror.

"Well, that should be an adventure for both of them," he chuckled as he checked his hair one last time.

Thirty minutes later, Adam, Ben, and Little Joe were standing alongside a pale and sweaty Hoss at the front of the little Virginia City church. Adam kept one eye on Hoss – if the big man swooned, he could take down the entire wedding party – and one eye on Molly, who sat in a pew next to Fionn halfway back. She wore the same emerald-silk gown that Adam had peeled off of her after her birthday dinner in August, with a white shawl around her shoulders and her emerald necklace gleaming on her collarbone. Adam had to count the baubles on the large Christmas tree at the front of the church to distract himself, lest the entire congregation witness his usual reaction to Molly.

The church did not have an organ, so precisely at five o'clock, Widow Hawkins sat down at the piano and struck up Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring." As the opening notes drifted down the aisle, the doors in the back opened, and Sally Cass stepped into the sanctuary and began her slow progress down the aisle. A few measures later, Josie followed her. Sally had pinned up Josie's hair in a neat chignon with wispy tendrils left down to frame her face. Josie, too, wore her birthday necklace from Adam, and it sparkled against her pale skin. She blushed as she made her way down the aisle, clutching her bouquet of silk roses. Roses were hard to come by in Virginia City to begin with, and in the middle of winter, downright impossible to obtain. To everyone's delight – especially the bride's – Hop Sing and one of his cousins had crafted gorgeous imitations out of scarlet silk they'd had sent in all the way from China. Josie ducked her head and nearly started to giggle, and Adam glanced back into the pews and saw Fionn grinning at her. He caught Molly's eye and gave her a wink.

Hope Lovejoy followed Josie, and then everyone stood as Widow Hawkins launched into a rousing rendition of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" and Patience entered the sanctuary on her father's arm. She was resplendent in a white gown trimmed in lace and a veil that reached her fingertips. Adam shot a sidelong glance at Hoss, and for a moment he thought his brother was going to burst into tears. But after a pat on the shoulder from Ben, Hoss broke into the biggest smile any of the Cartwrights had ever seen.

As Reverend Lovejoy and Patience approached the altar and the Reverend handed Patience over to Hoss, Adam glanced at Molly again. This time, their eyes met, and they exchanged small smiles.

Afterward, none of the Cartwrights would remember much of the wedding ceremony itself except that it was "lovely" and Ben had to keep dabbing at his eyes with his handkerchief. Adam's mind took flight during the Reverend's brief sermon as he imagined himself and Molly standing together at an altar, and he slipped a finger into his jacket pocket to check on the engagement ring once more.

When Reverend Lovejoy tearfully presented "Mr. and Mrs. Eric Cartwright," the congregation burst into applause, though Little Joe and Josie exploded in laughter. Even Adam had heard Hoss called by his Christian name only a handful of times, and then only when his brother was in big, big trouble, and something about the sound of the name struck the two youngest Cartwrights as hysterical. Even Ben's sternest glares couldn't quell their giggles as they processed down the aisle behind the beaming bride and groom, and Adam had to bite his lip to keep from laughing, too.

Due to the confined space at the front of the church, Hoss and Patience had opted to have their receiving line at the International House as guests entered for the reception, so the wedding party exited the church and crossed the street to the hotel. As the guests filed in one after another after another, Adam thought his hand would fall off from having been shaken so many times. He and Ben nearly knocked heads as they tried to hide behind each other as Widow Hawkins made her way forward in the queue. Adam breathed a sigh of relief when Clementine set her sights on Ben.

"Oh, Ducky, you must be so proud!" she gushed. Ben answered in the affirmative, and the widow leaned in close to his ear. "And don't you worry none. I'll be standing front and center to catch the bridal bouquet!"

Adam caught Little Joe's eye, and the two of them nearly had to excuse themselves. Fortunately, Molly came up right behind Clementine and distracted Adam's attention. She gave him a quick, demure kiss.

"You looked so handsome up there," she said as she batted her eyelashes.

Adam chuckled at her coy silliness. "You looked beautiful back there in your pew." He threaded one arm around her waist and drew her to him before remembering the long line of people waiting behind her. He sighed and let her go. "Sorry, my love. Duty calls."

With a warm smile, Molly patted his cheek and moved down the line to greet Ben.

An eternity later, the last guest had filed into the hotel, and the wedding party could finally sit down in the restaurant with everyone else. Small round tables lined the perimeter of the restaurant – the center was left open for dancing – and a long table had been set up at the front for Hoss, Patience, and the six attendants. Adam was a bit put out that he couldn't sit with Molly, but she and Fionn, along with Hoss's friend Jeremy Fitch and his wife, Catherine, had secured a table near the wedding party. Adam chuckled as he watched Fionn make silly faces at Josie, who worked so hard to keep from breaking out in hysterics again that her face soon matched the color of her gown.

Everyone was hungry, but before the food was served, waiters came around and poured champagne for each of the fifty-three guests. When everyone had been served, Adam and Little Joe rose to their feet and asked for the crowd's attention.

"Now I know it's traditional for the best man to give a speech right about now," Little Joe began, "and don't worry, Pa, you'll get your chance. But Adam and I didn't want to be left out." He paused to let the crowd chuckle before turning to the bride and groom. "Patience, I'm not sure whether to offer my congratulations or my condolences." The guests burst out laughing, and Joe had to wait a few moments for them to quiet down. "So I guess I'll just say 'Welcome to the family'' and 'Good luck.'" Joe's devilish grin vanished as he turned to Hoss, and he chewed on his lower lip for a second before continuing at a gallop. "And Hoss, well, the house is gonna be awfully quiet at night without your snoring." Joe accepted a second round of laughter from his audience and dropped heavily back into his chair.

Adam cast Joe a glance out of the corner of his eye. This wasn't the heartfelt speech Joe had shown him a few nights earlier. Little Joe reddened as he scuffed one boot on the floor, and Adam dived in to rescue him.

"Hoss," he said, "twenty-eight years ago, one of the most beautiful women who's ever lived showed compassion to a grubby little boy with a sore throat and an empty belly. Only a couple months later, she gave him the greatest gift he'd ever received: a mother. Just about nine months after that, she gave him another gift. You. Now, if my six-year-old self had known what sort of shenanigans would eventually ensue, I might not have been quite so excited about that." The crowd laughed again. "Hoss, in all the ways that mattered, Inger was my mother, too, and I miss her every day. She was a real nice lady." Adam paused and winked at Ben, who smiled through misty eyes. "But every time I look at you, I know she's still with us. You have her kindness and her compassion, and I couldn't be more proud to call you Brother. Congratulations, Younger Brother. May you and Patience have many, many years together." He raised his glass. "To Hoss and Patience!"

By now, the guests were all dabbing at their eyes, but they raised their glasses and echoed Adam's toast. Ben hid behind his champagne flute for a moment before standing to give his own toast.

"Hoss, your brothers didn't leave me much to say, but I've been hoping for a daughter-in-law for some time now, and you have given me the loveliest one a man could ask for. After your mother died, I didn't know if I could handle raising another baby on my own, but despite my failings, of which, I am sure, there were many, you turned out better than I could ever have dreamed. I am so proud of the man you have become, son, and I know you'll continue to make me proud. To Hoss and Patience!"

Tears streamed down Hoss's face as everyone raised their glasses to him and his bride once more. Deciding Hoss had endured being the center of attention long enough, Ben announced it was time to eat. As the waiters materialized with heaping platters of food, Adam discovered an advantage to being forced to sit apart from Molly: The wedding party got served first. All he'd had since breakfast was a cold sandwich, and his stomach felt like it was trying to digest his other internal organs. When a waiter set a huge plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits in front of him, Adam nearly wept with joy. He inhaled his food in record time and stared longingly at the massive wedding cake on a small table in the corner. Having finally relaxed and regained his own appetite, Hoss leaned around Ben and muttered to Adam.

"Don't you go gettin' no ideas about that cake there, Older Brother. Me and Patience get the first bites."

Adam grinned. "Well be quick about it. I'd hate to have to fight you at your own wedding." He glanced down the long table to where Josie sat toward the other end. She, too, was staring wide-eyed at the cake. "And I might not be your only contender."

Hoss followed Adam's gaze and laughed. "Better eat quick, darlin'," he said to Patience. "The family's gettin' mighty antsy for that cake." Patience giggled and quickened her pace.

At long last, everyone had finished their meals, and Hoss and Patience headed over to cut the cake. Hop Sing had given them a beautiful silver knife and cake server that he'd custom-ordered from a silversmith in Boston, and Hoss and Patience held the knife together as they sliced into the cake. Hoss very neatly poked a small bite of cake into Patience's mouth, and everyone laughed as Patience blotted a dollop of icing on Hoss's nose before reciprocating.

Adam and Molly grinned at each other across their narrow divide as the waiters set tall slices of the chocolate wedding cake in front of them. The last time they'd eaten chocolate cake together at the International House, the evening had ended quite nicely. While Adam didn't expect they'd have that sort of opportunity tonight, he still intended the evening to end auspiciously.

When the cake was gone, a band assembled on the side of the dance floor, and Adam was about to spring from his seat and grab Molly when Ben placed a hand on his elbow.

"Bride and groom get the first dance," he reminded him.

Adam sighed and dropped back into his chair.

The wait wasn't as bad as he'd feared. He got to spend the next few minutes watching his younger brother sweep his new bride around the dance floor. Hoss had always had a sunny personality, but he shone more brightly this evening than ever before as Patience gazed up at him in adoration. Adam cast a glance at Molly and envisioned her in a white lace gown.

When the song ended, Adam sprang from his chair and darted over to Molly. He bowed low to her and extended his right hand.

"Miss O'Connell?"

Molly smiled and took his hand. "Aye, Mr. Cartwright."

As Adam led Molly from the table, he caught Fionn's eye, and the two men shared a knowing grin.

Adam and Molly danced the evening away, breaking only long enough for Adam to share a dance with his new sister-in-law while Molly danced with Ben to save him from Widow Hawkins for one song. Clementine had sunk her claws into him at the first opportunity, and Ben hadn't been able to get free. Adam worried that Josie might feel abandoned, but every time he glanced over at her, she was either dancing or sitting with Fionn, so enchanted with him that she noticed nothing else.

Fionn was worlds better than he'd been the night he and Molly had shown up on the Cartwrights' porch, but he was still recovering, and he could dance for only short stretches before he needed to rest. He insisted on dancing the Virginia Reel, however, and by the time the song was over, his cough had flared up. It had moved out of his chest and was now dry and throaty, but Josie knew he could still relapse if he wasn't careful, and she made him sit down.

"Sorry, Hey, You," he gasped as he sipped some water. "Guess I'm not back to meself just yet."

Josie smiled and kissed his forehead. "That's ok. I'm just glad you're here at all."

"Aye, me, too." Fionn took a long, shuddering breath, trying to quell another round of his hacking cough. His eyebrows shot up as Josie reached beneath the hem of her dress and started fidgeting around under the layers of silk and taffeta. "If you need some help there, I'd be happy to assist you."

Josie giggled and extracted what she'd been looking for – a small silver flask she'd strapped to her calf with a garter. She unscrewed the cap and handed it to Fionn. "Whiskey," she said as he sniffed its contents. "Thought you might need some to get through the evening."

Fionn grinned at her and took a swig. "Thanks, Hey, You." His eyes sparkled with mischief as he returned her flask. "Got any other surprises up that dress of yours?"

Josie slapped his hand as she snatched the flask and took a quick sip before tucking it away under her skirt. "We're taking this slowly, remember?"

Fionn pretended to take offense. "How dare you accuse me of bein' inappropriate!" he said melodramatically as he laid a hand over his heart. "Here I was hopin' you'd squirreled away a slice of cake, and you assume I'm makin' advances!" His eyes met Josie's, and he couldn't keep a straight face. They both broke out laughing, Fionn's joy cut short by a sharp stab of pain from his still inflamed chest muscles. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, won't that ever go away?!" he moaned as he massaged his ribcage.

"It will," Josie assured him as she took hold of his hand. "But it's going to take a long time. You really did a number on yourself, Fionn."

"Aye."

They sat quietly, side-by-side, for a few songs while the whiskey kicked in and Fionn's lungs settled. As they rested, they saw Adam and Molly slip past and head for the door. Their eyes widened.

"Do you suppose he's about to-?" Josie asked.

Fionn hesitated. "About to what?"

"It's ok, Fionn. Adam told me he's proposing tonight."

"Oh, aye. I don't know. Awfully cold out there."

"Yeah," Josie agreed. "But it's not exactly private in here, is it?"

"I suppose not."

They fell silent for several seconds before Josie spoke up again.

"I have to admit, I'm fighting the urge to eavesdrop."

Fionn chuckled. "Glad it's not just me. C'mon, let's dance again." He grabbed her hand and led her back to the dancefloor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Outside, Adam wrapped an arm around Molly as they ambled down the sidewalk a bit. She'd hesitated when he'd asked if she wanted to get some air – it was near freezing – but Adam had insisted that he was too warm and he'd keep it short.

"I love weddings," Molly sighed as they walked along. Her words drifted upwards on a puff of smoky breath. "This has been so much fun."

"It has," Adam agreed. "Kinda makes you want to do it again, doesn't it?"

Molly giggled. "Aye, it does. But with any luck, Hoss will only get married this once."

"I wasn't talking about Hoss."

Molly stopped midstride and faced Adam, one eyebrow cocked. Adam smiled and caressed her cheek with a gloved finger. "You know, when my ex-fiancée left me, I was devastated. I swore I'd never leave myself that vulnerable again. But then I met you, and I realized I'd never had any idea what love really is. I ache when we're apart, and I can't live without you." Molly gasped as Adam dropped to one knee and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out the ring box and popped it open. "Molly Deirdre O'Connell, would you do me the great honor of consenting to be my wife?"

Molly burst into tears. "You really think you have to ask?" she sniffled. "Of course I will!"

Adam's face split into a broad grin, and he leapt to his feet. Molly threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He slipped his arms around her waist and drew her close. He chuckled when they finally came up for air.

"You know, I still have a ring here in my hand, if you're interested," he said.

Tears still streaming down her face, Molly nodded. Adam pulled the ring out of the box and reached for Molly's left hand. Molly gasped as Adam slipped the ring onto her third finger.

"Where did you get this ring?" she demanded, her voice strangely hard. She yanked it off her finger and held it up to the moonlight.

Adam was flummoxed. "I bought it," he sputtered. "I bought it from a jeweler in Sacramento when I took Josie there for her birthday. What's the matter? Don't you like it?"

A fresh round of tears rose to Molly's eyes as she examined the inside of the band. "It's not that," she whimpered. "It's… this… Adam, this is me mother's ring."

"What?"

"This is me mother's ring. Look." She pointed to the initials engraved behind the emerald. "'P.O. and N.O.,'" she read. "Patrick O'Connell and Niamh O'Connell. My parents. This is me mother's wedding ring."

Adam was still trying to catch up. "But… How did it wind up with the jeweler?" he asked.

Molly wiped her eyes with her coat sleeve and slipped the ring back onto her finger. She stared at it like an old friend she'd never expected to see again. "I sold it," she whispered. "I sold it last year to pay for Fionn's lawyer."

"The jeweler said he'd bought it from another jeweler in San Francisco," Adam mused. "But Molly, I thought you said you paid Fionn's lawyer with the money your father had left you."

Molly dropped her head in shame. "I stretched the truth a bit to protect Fionn's feelings. Da left us money, sure, but it wasn't enough for both the lawyer and the farm. Whether Fionn walked or went to jail, I knew I'd need that money to buy a new place somewhere away from San Francisco. But I had to get him a good lawyer, Adam. I had to. He's…" She broke down sobbing, and Adam gathered her up in his arms.

"It's all right, sweetheart," he whispered into her ear. "You did what you had to do. I only have a few things that belonged to my mother, but I'd sell them in a minute if it meant protecting Hoss or Joe or Josie." Adam tilted Molly's face up so she was looking at him. "Come on, now. No more tears. We get to start planning our wedding!"

Molly smiled and gave him a salty kiss. "Oh, Adam, I love you so much."

"I love you, too, darling." He shivered and pulled her closer. "But I think we should probably go back inside before we freeze to death."

"Aye," Molly agreed. She dug a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped the tears from her face before they could freeze. She admired the ring on her finger. "Have you been hidin' this since September?"

Adam chuckled and started leading her back to the International House. "Yeah, I have. Been burning a hole in my sock drawer. I can't tell you how many times I nearly proposed to you since then, but I didn't want to steal Hoss's thunder."

"That was the right thing to do," Molly said. "I think I can keep this to meself for a few more hours. Is it all right if I tell Fionn, though?"

"Fionn already knows. I asked him for your hand a couple nights ago. Josie knows, too, but they're the only ones."

"You asked Fionn for me hand?"

"Didn't seem right not to. Though it did put me in a position where I couldn't say 'no' this morning when he asked me if he could court Josie." He grinned at Molly.

"So that's what had her gigglin' so hard last night," Molly muttered. "I am glad to see them together. Josie is so good for Fionn."

"Almost as good as you are for me." Adam leaned down and kissed Molly's cheek. They reached the door of the hotel and Adam sighed. "You know, I have a room here tonight. I'm sure I could slip you up there without my family seeing you." He gave her a wicked smile.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, but how would I explain my absence to Fionn? We're sleepin' at me shop tonight. He'll probably notice if I'm not there."

"Oh. Yeah."

Molly giggled and ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. "Guess you'll just have to get to buildin' our house so we can get married sooner rather than later."

"Guess I will." Adam gave Molly one last lingering kiss before leading her back into the reception.

Back inside, Adam could feel Josie and Fionn's gazes boring into him the instant he and Molly stepped back into the restaurant. Fortunately, no one else seemed to have noticed their absence, so Adam led Molly straight over to where Josie and Fionn sat. No words needed to be exchanged. Josie took one look at Molly's ring finger and squealed, throwing her arms around Adam's neck. Fionn broke into an ear-to-ear grin and gathered Molly up in a tight hug before wrenching Josie off of Adam so he could shake his hand.

"Congratulations!" Josie whispered in Molly's ear as she hugged her.

Adam pulled them apart. "Tone it down, everybody," he muttered. "People are starting to stare."

Josie glanced up and saw that Adam was right. Sheriff Coffee, Sally, Jeremy Fitch, and a number of other guests were staring at the foursome quizzically. Even Ben managed to peer around Widow Hawkins's teetering up-do to raise an eyebrow.

"Fionn, dance with Molly," Josie said. "It'll throw everyone off. Come on, Adam." She grabbed her cousin's hand and dragged him onto the dancefloor. They'd danced only a few measures when Adam noticed Fionn and Molly standing in the middle of the dancefloor, their heads together and their voices hushed.

Josie spotted it, too. "Are they arguing?" she asked.

"Sure looks like it." Adam and Josie kept dancing, but Adam peeked around Josie's head to keep his eye on the O'Connells. "Oh no," he said at last. He stopped dead, and all the color drained from his face. "The ring. He must have spotted the ring. I didn't even think about how we'd explain it!"

"What on Earth are you talking about? What's wrong with the ring?"

Adam quickly filled Josie in on the history of Molly's engagement ring.

"Oh no," Josie gasped as she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, Adam, he's gonna feel terrible!"

"Yeah. Come on." Adam grabbed Josie's hand, and together they hustled over to the O'Connells. "Hey," he murmured, interrupting their powwow. "Let's go somewhere we can all talk." The anger flashing in Fionn's eyes surprised Adam as the younger man looked up at him, and Molly's eyes were brimming with tears. If not for Josie's presence, Adam wouldn't have known which O'Connell was the more urgent case, and he might have stood there indecisive for quite some time as the other guests' attention started to drift toward them once more.

"Yeah, come on, Fionnie," Josie said gently, taking Fionn's arm. "Let's go out to the lobby."

Fionn relaxed at Josie's touch and let her lead him out of the restaurant and into the hotel lobby. Josie was relieved that the lobby was empty; she really hadn't wanted to go out into the cold for this conversation. Fionn was trembling with rage, and going outside in that state certainly would have set off his cough again, worse than the dancing had. Josie sat them down on a long padded bench, and Fionn buried his face in his hands. Josie rubbed his back while they waited for Adam and Molly to join them. Josie's eyes were on Fionn, but she could hear Molly sniffling as she sat down next to her brother.

"Please say somethin' to me, Fionn," she whimpered.

Fionn drew a long, shaky breath and dropped his hands. "You shouldn't have sold it," he muttered, not raising his gaze. "That was Mam's ring, and you shouldn't have sold it."

"Fionn, I had to. I had to get you that lawyer."

"At what cost?!" Fionn asked, raising his head and glaring at his sister. "Mam's ring, Molly! Mam's ring! It's all we've got of her. Shouldn't go sellin' your most valuable possession just because I got in trouble."

"Not my most valuable possession," Molly murmured, almost inaudibly.

"What's that?"

Molly caught his gaze. "That ring was never me most valuable possession, Fionn," she said. "You are. You always have been, and I couldn't sit by and do nothing when I had the chance to save you. I would have sold me soul to the devil himself if it meant savin' you."

Fionn buried his face in his hands again, his shoulders quaking. Adam rose to give Molly and Fionn some privacy, but Fionn looked up and grabbed Adam's hand, his face miraculously devoid of tears.

"Thank you, Adam. Thank you for bringin' me Mam's ring home."

Adam shook his hand. "You don't owe me any thanks. It was just a happy coincidence." With a little nod at Josie, he slipped back into the restaurant. Josie gave Fionn a kiss on the cheek and followed her cousin out of the lobby.

While they waited for Fionn and Molly to return, Josie pulled Little Joe away from Hope Lovejoy for a song, and Adam gamely invited Widow Hawkins to dance to give his father a respite. When Clementine refused to release Adam after the first song, Josie snatched up her uncle.

"How you holding up, Uncle Ben?" she asked with a sly smile. She let go of his hand long enough to straighten his tie.

"Next time one of us gets married, she's not invited," Ben grumbled.

Josie giggled and rested her head against his chest as they danced.

"So Fionn, huh?" Ben asked after a few measures.

Josie blushed, and she kept her face buried in her uncle's shirt. "Seems so," she mumbled.

Ben chuckled and tilted Josie's chin up. "Good," he said, kissing her forehead. "I like Fionn."

"Me, too," Josie said with a little smile.

When the song ended, Josie claimed sibling privileges and stole Hoss away from Patience for a dance.

"Josie, I ain't ever been so happy in my life," Hoss said, beaming brightly.

Josie grinned up at him, but a wave of sadness washed over her. "I'm gonna miss you, Big Brother."

"Hey, I'm just a few miles away. Don't you worry, Little Sister. Ol' Hoss is always there for you if you need him. Now you go get Fionn back."

Josie glanced over her shoulder and saw Fionn and Molly step back into the restaurant. To Josie's relief, they were holding hands and smiling. Josie grinned up at Hoss and scampered over to reclaim Fionn. They didn't get to dance long, though, because Patience called all the single ladies to the middle of the room for the bouquet toss.

True to her word, Widow Hawkins elbowed her way through the crowd of young women and placed herself front and center. She shot an audacious wink at Ben, and Josie started laughing so hard that she completely missed seeing Patience hurl the bouquet over her shoulder. The bundle of flowers bounced off of Josie's head and directly into Molly's hands. Molly turned bright red as all the other ladies congratulated her and threw coy glances at Adam. Molly slipped out of the crowd and pulled one of the silk roses from the bouquet. She handed it to Josie.

"You deserve this," she said, giggling. "I wouldn't have caught the bouquet without your help." Josie laughed as she accepted the rose. "And maybe it'll bring you and Fionn a little luck, yeah?" Molly gave Josie a wink and glided back to Adam.

The party was still going strong at ten o'clock, but Hoss and Patience had a two-hour drive to their new home, and Ben encouraged them to take off before it got any later.

"Don't worry, son, we'll entertain the guests for you," he said with a knowing grin.

Hoss blanched and broke out in a cold sweat but gathered up Patience all the same. She'd slipped upstairs and changed into a warm wool dress more suited to a cold drive than her wedding gown was. She, too, looked frightened, and Josie gave her a bracing smile.

Hoss and Patience bid farewell to their guests and bundled up to go home together for the first time. Hoss was still pale and sweaty, and as the said goodbye, Adam pulled his brother into a hug and whispered in his ear.

"You'll figure it out. She won't laugh, and the whole thing will be amazing. Go get 'em, big fella!" He gave Hoss a hearty slap on the back, kissed Patience on the cheek, and gave the pair of them a little shove toward the door.

As they waved goodbye to the newlyweds, Ben leaned over to Adam.

"What did you say to him?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, Pa. Brother stuff."

Ben chuckled. "So when does _he_ get to tell _you_ 'brother stuff'?"

"Well, Molly and I haven't set a date yet, but I'd guess June."

Ben cut off mid-chuckle and gaped at Adam. He searched for his voice.

"Are you serious? When did this happen?!"

Adam checked his pocket watch. "About two hours ago," he said, tucking the watch away. "Close your mouth, Pa, it's not becoming."

Ben clapped his jaw shut and glanced around to see if any of the other guests had overheard.

"I think we'll announce it after the new year," Adam continued. "Let Hoss have his moment."

Ben was flabbergasted. All these years, and now two of his sons were getting married within six months. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket to dab at his eyes, but it was still damp from the ceremony, so he jammed it back in his pocket and raked his sleeve across his eyes. He clapped Adam on the back.

"That's wonderful news, son. Truly wonderful. And yes, let's keep this to ourselves a bit longer." Hoss and Patience's wagon had faded into the night, so Ben turned to the crowd. "Come on, everyone! Let's go back inside. There's still a party going on!" With a big cheer, the guests returned to the restaurant and started dancing once more.

Fionn was wheezing a bit from having been outside, so Josie made him rest before she'd let him dance again. The pair of them sipped punch and watched as Adam swept Molly around the dancefloor.

"Gonna be lonely with Hoss and Adam both gone," Josie mused.

"At least you'll still have your uncle and Joe," Fionn pointed out. "With Molly gone, my only company will be Conall." Pip's young son was still growing rapidly, and Josie was impressed by how well Fionn had already trained him to deliver messages like Pip could.

Josie smiled. "Guess I'll just have to come visit you a lot."

Fionn's eyes twinkled. "Aye, that you will. It'll be strange enough goin' home tomorrow. Got used to the Ponderosa. My pallet on the floor in Molly's shop tonight won't hold a candle to that soft, warm guestroom bed you have." He took a swig of his punch.

"You know," Josie said shyly, "I've got a room upstairs with a soft, warm bed. I bet I could sneak you up there without my family knowing."

Fionn choked on his punch, and Josie burned crimson.

"Oh! I didn't mean all of _that_!" she said. "I just, well, I uh… oh, dear."

Punch dribbled out of Fionn's nose, and his eyes began to stream. He ripped his handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his face. His cough flared, and Josie rubbed his back until it settled.

"I'm so sorry, Fionn," she said. "That didn't come out right at all. It's just that, when I was sitting up with you when you were sick, you looked so snug burrowed under the covers that it was all I could do not to crawl in next to you and cuddle up." She picked at an imaginary hangnail.

Fionn took her hand. When she looked up at him, he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. "That sounds heavenly," he whispered. "Pity I can't think of a way to explain me absence to Molly. She'll notice if I'm not there." Josie smiled, and Fionn continued, "But I bet we could arrange it some other time. Just a cuddle, of course. We're takin' it slow." He winked at her.

"Well of course," Josie said, smiling. "What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"The kind that hides whiskey under her dress. How about another tipple?"

Josie giggled and extracted the flask. Checking that no one was watching – the hotel's owner wouldn't be happy if he knew someone had snuck in their own alcohol rather than putting it on Ben's rapidly rising tab – Josie and Fionn each took a hearty swig and then returned to the dancefloor.

The party didn't wind down until past midnight, and the Cartwrights were grateful they had booked rooms at the hotel. Josie, especially, knew she didn't have the energy to make it all the way home that night. During Fionn's rest breaks, Josie kept busy dancing with Ben, Adam, Little Joe, Ross Marquette, Sheriff Coffee, and even Hop Sing, and she was exhausted. Adam, too, was feeling the lack of sleep from the night before catching up to him, and much as he wished Molly could stay with him that night, he had a feeling he wouldn't have been able to stay awake long enough to celebrate their engagement anyway.

Reluctant to leave, Fionn and Molly stayed until the last of the guests had departed for home.

"Good night, my dear," Ben said, giving Molly a hug. "And congratulations," he whispered. Molly smiled shyly, and Ben gave her a knowing wink.

Josie gave Molly a hug, too. "I'm going to miss sitting up and talking to you at night," she said.

"Me, too."

"And don't forget to come see me on Tuesday."

Molly blushed and promised she would stop by Dr. Martin's clinic while Josie was there in a few days. She turned to Adam.

"And when will I see you again, Mr. Cartwright?"

Adam pulled her close and felt himself stir. "Just as soon as possible. I'll come by your shop this week so long as the weather doesn't get bad." He grinned as a thought struck him. "Hey, how about you and Fionn come over on New Year's Eve? You two can stay over that night, and we'll all ring in 1864 together."

"I'd love that! How about you, Deartháir?"

Fionn smiled and slipped an arm around Josie's waist. "Sounds great!" He turned Josie to face him and kissed her. "So I get to see you again on Friday."

"Monday," Josie corrected. "I plan to ride up to your place to listen to your lungs again."

"I'll tidy up, then."

Josie giggled and kissed Fionn one last time before he took Molly's hand and led her out of the International House and down the street to her shop. Adam and Josie watched sadly as they left.

As soon as the O'Connells were out of sight, Ben sighed. "I'm beat," he said simply. "Goodnight, kids." He patted Adam and Joe's shoulders, kissed Josie's forehead, and trudged upstairs to his room.

Little Joe heaved a sigh, too. "S'pose I should go to bed, too." He looked so forlorn that Josie gave him a big hug.

"Don't worry, Joe," she said. "Hoss is still your best friend. And if you get lonely, you know I'm always game for one of your harebrained schemes."

Joe smiled. "Thanks, Josie." He followed Ben up the stairs, clutching the banister for balance.

Adam shook his head as he watched Joe sway. "Hope he didn't overdo it with the whiskey," he muttered.

"He should be all right. Believe me, I know what overdoing it looks like on Joe."

Adam laughed and draped an arm around Josie's shoulders. "What a night, huh?"

"Yeah," Josie agreed. "And it's not over yet."

"How do you figure?"

"I need your assistance."

"With what?"

Josie pointed to her hair. "Hidden within this mass of keratin, my dear Cousin-Cousin, are at least two thousand hairpins, and I have no hope of ever finding them all on my own."

Adam threw back his head and laughed. "The Revolution of 1776, the Gold Rush of 1849, and the Great Hairpin Hunt of 1863," he said. "All right, let's get started." He offered Josie his arm and led her upstairs to her room.

Forty-five minutes later, Adam was pawing through Josie's loose tresses and announced that he thought he had found all the pins. Josie ran a brush carefully through her hair and came up with only one missed pin.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "You have no idea how much it hurts to roll over onto one of those things in the middle of the night."

Adam examined one of the pointy metal twigs and imagined it digging into his skull. "I bet," he said. He turned to leave, but Josie stopped him.

"One more thing, I'm sorry."

"Sure."

She lifted her hair, now cascading down her back in waves. "Could you undo the top three or four buttons? I can get the rest myself."

Adam chuckled and unfastened the first few buttons on the back of Josie's gown. "I still contend that women's fashion is far more complicated than it needs to be."

"I concur." Josie turned and smiled at Adam and pulled him into a hug. "Congratulations, Adam. I'm so thrilled for you and Molly."

Adam kissed the top of her head. "Thanks, kid. I'm pretty thrilled myself. Hey, and good luck to you and Fionn. I always thought you two should get together."

Josie stuck out her tongue. "Sure, sure, you always know what everyone should do."

"One of my best qualities, if I do say so myself."

Josie giggled and gave Adam a playful little push toward the door. "Goodnight, Cousin-Cousin."

"Goodnight, Josie."

Back in his own room, Adam pulled off his tie and boots. As he sat on the edge of his bed, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and grinned. "What a great night," he said quietly as he shrugged out of his jacket and untucked his shirt.

Unfortunately, by the time he'd changed into his nightshirt and climbed, at long last, between the soft sheets of the bed, Adam was wide awake. He'd been so wiped out when the reception ended, but he seemed to have caught a second wind while searching through Josie's hair. As they so often did, his thoughts turned to Molly. He replayed his proposal over and over in his mind, smiling to himself at how well it had gone. He knew he could have proposed in the middle of a pigsty and still gotten an acceptance, but it had meant a lot to him to get the proposal just right. And having given Molly her own mother's wedding ring had only been icing on the cake. He shook his head in disbelief at his luck and rolled onto his side.

Sleep eluded Adam as his thoughts of Molly refused to quiet down. A clock gonged downstairs in the hotel lobby, and he counted off: it was two o'clock in the morning. Hoss and Patience should have reached their new home two hours ago, and Adam chuckled to himself as he wondered how his brother was getting on with his "adventure." Then he imagined his own wedding night that would happen mere months from now. He felt a familiar tingle below his navel, and he knew if he didn't silence those thoughts, he'd never get to sleep. Starting at one hundred, he began mentally counting backward in French. Somewhere in the seventies, he drifted off to sleep, the hint of a smile still flitting about his lips.


End file.
